Bible Reading: Luke 2:21-38
The name Anna means favor and grace. We know that Anna was married for seven years and remained a widow for eighty-four years.
Here are a few things we know about Anna.
She was a widow of great age (verse 36).
She was a devout worshipper of God (verse 37).
She was a person of fasting and prayer (verse 37).
She was full of prayer and thanksgiving (verse 38).
No wonder she was given the name Anna: because of the favor and grace she received from God.
Most of us will never fully know this side of heaven all that God has done for us, of which we are so unworthy. The following story illustrates the point.
Years ago, my father coached a team of eight-year-olds. He had a few excellent players, and some who just couldn’t get the hang of the game. Dad’s team didn’t win once all season. But in the last inning of the last game, his team was only down by a run..
There was one boy who had never been able to hit the ball – or catch it. With two outs, it was his turn to bat. He surprised the world and got a single! The next batter was the team slugger. Finally, Dad’s players might win a game. The slugger connected, and as the boy who hit the single ran to second, he saw the ball coming toward him. Not so certain of baseball’s rules, he caught it. Final out! Dad’s team lost! Quickly, my father told his team to cheer. The boy beamed. It never occurred to him that he lost the game. All he knew was he had hit the ball and caught it – both for the first time. His parents later thanked my dad. Their child had never even gotten in a game before that season. We never told the boy exactly what happened. We didn’t want to ruin it for him. And till this day, I’m proud of what my father did that afternoon.
~ Quoted by Jeffrey Zaslow in “Tell Me About It,” 1990
So the next time you think of Anna, think of God’s amazing grace and all He’s done for you – things you know He’s done and the things you don’t know as well.
What to do:
✞ Be like Anna, full of grace and favor.
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