Luke 2:36-38
“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, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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.”
We just traveled from Georgia to America for the holidays (hence the delay in this post). After months of anticipation building up, then traveling for over 24 hours, it felt like the waiting would never end. No matter how much I wanted to see my family, there was no possible way of speeding up the time…to end the waiting.
This experience was really only a short time of waiting, but I’ve also experienced longer periods of waiting. Many times in the waiting, I know I experienced doubt that what I was anticipating would ever really happen. I waited 17 years to go to a place like Georgia and do what we are doing now. The last 4 years of waiting were the most intense (this was pre-Wade in my life). I had reached a point in my life where it just made sense for me to go. It seemed like great timing to me. It wasn’t God’s timing. He said, “Not yet.” My response was often, “If not yet, then when, God? How long must I wait?” Then He would reassure me that He had it all under control. There were other things He had for me in that moment. And He was still preparing me and the place I would be for the right timing in His plan. When the time came for me to go, I could see that it was truly all in His hands and His timing.
Seems pretty simple, huh? Honestly, not really. It’s difficult.
I also think of the waiting for a husband. I was just 3 months shy of turning 29 when Wade and I got married. I know that’s still probably in the range of average ages for marriage these days, but to me it seemed so late compared to others I knew. I had always imagined getting married about age 22 or 23…right after college. Why? I don’t know…it just made sense at the time. Wrong again. I don’t regret at all that marriage came later in my life than I had expected. I look at those years leading up to it and know without a doubt that it was in God’s timing. I experienced a life in those years that many people never get to experience. I truly value those years and experiences. They’ve shaped me in more ways than I can count.
Anna, like Simon, waited a lifetime to see God’s salvation come to earth. What did she do while waiting? She stayed in the temple and worshiped God night and day, fasting and praying. She didn’t have a husband for most of that time. The Scripture doesn’t mention any children. It appears she was alone and waiting. Yet it seems as though she gave it all over to God. She stayed close to God. She spent time with Him…focused time, not just investing a little time to “get it done.” And when the time came, she thanked God and shared the good news with many.
I pray my current and future seasons of waiting will be consumed with closeness to God rather than focusing my attention on the waiting. When I focus on the waiting, it often leads to trying to force something to happen which never turns out to be a good thing. Be still, and wait on the Lord.
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