I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few weeks reading and re-reading about Anna the prophetess. I think what attracts me most is her age. Especially since I am one of the oldest women at the gym I go to, I love having someone I can look to for inspiration. Anna does that for me. Her story in Luke 2 is only a few verses long, yet it reveals a woman who is physically vibrant and spiritually beautiful. By some accounts, she is over 100 years old when we meet her in Scripture. Anna’s life entices women to consider becoming a modern-day Anna. Her life exudes this profound truth: devotion matters deeply to God.
A prophetess named Anna was also in the temple court that day. She was from the tribe of Asher and the daughter of Phanuel. Anna was an aged widow who had been married only seven years before her husband passed away. After he died she chose to worship God in the temple continually. For the past eighty-four years she had been serving God with night-and-day prayer and fasting. While Simeon was prophesying over Mary and Joseph and the baby, Anna walked up to them and burst forth with a great chorus of praise to God for the child. From that day forward she told everyone in Jerusalem who was waiting for their redemption that the anticipated Messiah had come! Luke 2:36-38 TPT
Becoming a Modern-Day Anna
Anna’s example reveals someone who has known loss. Instead of her loss causing her to withdraw from God, she becomes spiritually alert and devoted to serving God. Being a modern-day Anna starts with a willingness to let your story become part of your worship.
Fasting was part of Anna’s devotion. In Matthew chapter six, Jesus makes a few ‘when you’ statements. ‘When you fast’ and ‘when you pray’. As a modern-day Anna, it’s not if we will fast, it’s when. We may fast differently, a Daniel Fast, intermittent fasting, or intentional “quiet fasts” from media or noise. When done with a spiritual purpose, any of these choices helps cultivate our focus and increase our hunger for God.
Anna lived a daily rhythm of prayer. Scripture says she served God “night and day” with fasting and prayer. This doesn’t necessarily mean she prayed nonstop; it means she prayed consistently. For a modern woman, that might look like a morning devotion, whispered prayers throughout the day, or a dedicated quiet time before bed. What matters most is the regular focus of your heart on God.
Anna made the Temple her home, choosing to remain rooted in God’s presence. Remaining in God’s presence brings stability, encouragement, and wisdom to the body of Christ. Perhaps Anna’s most beautiful trait was her expectancy. Anna watched for God’s redemption. She believed His promises, and because of that faith, she saw the Christ Child.
To be a modern-day Anna is to live with the same lifelong devotion: fasting intentionally, praying faithfully, practicing His presence consistently, and expecting God to stay true to His word. Like Anna, you can shine with purpose and point others to Jesus simply by being intentionally, faithfully, and consistently His.
*For those of you who prayer walk, ask God if He is calling you to become a modern-day Anna. And for this week’s screensaver, click here.