36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[a] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Anna (which means grace*) was a prophetess and a daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. Penuel means the face of God and his name comes from the Hebrew, facing God, or to turn toward God.** I guess we could say Anna's Dad spent his life facing God and received grace!
Penuel left a great heritage to his daughter, Anna. "She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four." Although she had only experienced earthly romance for a brief time she knew Everlasting Love well. Without husband or child (that we know of), she spent herself in worship night and day. She was desperately looking to Yahweh for the hope He had promised. May the Lord raise up more Anna's who give themselves to fasting and prayer to see the promises of God fulfilled in our day.
At the very moment Simeon was praising God with Jesus in his arms, Anna came up joining in the anthem and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Over and over God confirmed Who Jesus was and proclaimed through prophet, prophetess, angels and shepherds that He was truly the Messiah. And every time someone saw Jesus they burst into praise sharing the news that Salvation had come!
When Joseph and Mary finished everything at the temple, they returned home to Nazareth. "And Jesus grew (to become greater) and became strong (to increase in strength); He was filled with wisdom, and the grace (favor) of God was upon Him." What an awesome verse to pray for your child(ren). There's nothing more powerful than praying scripture over your family and friends. We have the promises of God to receive as our own if we will simply apply them to our lives and circumstances. Will you turn this description of the life of Jesus into a prayer for your child(ren), grandchild(ren) or someone else special to you? Maybe you want to pray for a spiritual son or daughter in your life. Lord Jesus, may our kids grow and become strong and be filled with wisdom, and may Your favor be upon them...
*Greek Strong's #451, **Greek Strong's #5323, & Hebrew Strong's #6439
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