From Jennifer: I’m so grateful you’re sticking with me and our guy Haggai! We’re learning so much, aren’t we? Usually, what God calls us to do and who he calls us to be takes years, a lifetime to build. So, we need perseverance and courage. And, that also means we need to look to the lives of women who have done it well for encouragement. So, during our fifth video session we popped into the temple. It’s the same temple the Jews in Haggai’s day were working on, 500 years after it was rebuilt.
We met Anna, who according to the Scripture, was “very old!” Thank you very much Dr. Luke (Luke 2:36-37)! After we looked at the possibilities of when she married, along with the other clues of the Scripture, we concluded that likely Anna was around 105 years old. The Bible isn’t kidding… very old! She was old enough to be a grandma, or a great grandmother! But, it seems she wasn’t. Anna likely never had children. We came to this conclusion based on our understanding of the legal and social status of Jewish widows in first-century Palestine. As a widow, she would have lived in her father’s or adult son’s home. But, she didn’t. She lived her adult life in the temple. It was a stigma to be barren and children were seen as a blessing from God. So, it's plausible that Anna could have struggled with her identity, compared herself to other women, and found herself coming up short. We were honest about our tendency to feel that way too. When another woman possesses something we don’t, we can easily fall into the comparison trap. Anna could have easily done that too. But instead, she gravitated to the temple, living all her days worshipping, praying, and fasting. We discussed that we too can either live in comparison mode or in the presence of God. And, when we live in the presence of God, we live out the purpose of God for our lives. Anna’s life could have turned out very differently if she had chosen comparison over courage. She wouldn’t have done her one thing. Her loss may have been what uniquely positioned her to be and do what God called her to do as a prophetess. The hard thing, the loss, the disappointment may be what God is using to clarify our one thing too. We talked about how, because Anna didn’t get stuck in comparison, because she did her one thing, she was perfectly positioned to experience Christ. In Luke 2:25-32, we imagined that Anna looked over and saw Simeon with some young parents who brought their newborn to the temple to present their baby before God. (See Leviticus 12:6-8 and Exodus 13:2; 12-15) Even though Anna was “very old,” she could hear well enough to notice when Simeon broke out in song. We imagined how she scurried over and grabbed that baby and then proclaimed Truth about Jesus as loudly as she could (Luke 2:38)! We determined that when we, like Anna, are doing our one thing, we also proclaim the truth about Jesus. We also discovered that Anna’s name is the same as Hannah in the Old Testament and it means “favor” or “grace.” Hannah’s and Anna’s stories were different though. Hannah was able to bear a child. Anna was able to bear witness to the Christ-child. Both women experienced favor and grace from God. We decided Anna’s life is a picture of what it means to rebrand Egypt. Her loss could have been her brand, but favor and grace were her brand. Anna is a great hero for our hearts. She teaches us how we can overcome the tendency to compare, how we can live with purpose, and how we can rebrand our Egypts so we can be women who take courage too. We ended up on our three courage confessions. Here’s your summary: (And, you may need to get out three Post-It notes to write one on each and stick them where you most need to see them!) 1. It is what it is. Anna could have lived in discouragement instead of the temple if she hadn’t had an, “It is what it is,” attitude. The Jews in Haggai grew discouraged because they were living in the past and longing for something better, rather than accepting what God was doing in the now. Accepting something doesn’t mean we like it or agree with it. It simply means we’re willing to receive what God is doing now. So, whatever your “it” is, accept it. Because, if God allowed it, you can accept it and see how God uses it in you to clarify your one thing. Living in denial doesn’t position you to rebrand Egypt. But, being brave enough to accept your reality positions you to experience God’s redemption so the hard things in your past don’t continue to hurt you.
2. I build more than I see. Anna didn’t see the fruit of her faithfulness until she held baby Jesus in her arms well after she turned 100 years old. And we, centuries later, see very clearly what her faithfulness built. We’ve also seen in Haggai that the Jews built more than they saw because they had no idea that 500 years later, a prophetess named Anna would hold the Messiah in her arms right there in that place. Anna built more than she saw. The Jews built more than they saw. And so do you. Moms do. Teachers do. Preschool workers do. Youth group leaders do. Whatever you do … you do! You too are branded with favor and grace like Anna. So persevere, because even if you never see it come to fruition, God will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
3. I am never alone. Anna was held by the hope of the Messiah during all her days in the temple as she did her one thing, and then she actually held Him, her hope, in her arms. What a picture that God is with us. Just like God was with the Jews in Haggai and His presence made them brave (Haggai 2:4 ), God was with the Apostle Paul when He felt betrayed and unsure. And God’s presence made him strong (2 Timothy 4:17). You and I are never alone. And often, we need to remind ourselves of that powerful truth so we don’t lose heart. Jesus gives us courage as He gives us Himself. He is with you too. And where he is, there is courage.
So, practice speaking these courage confessions to your own soul so you, like Anna, will be a woman of perseverance. My final word to you is … courage, dear heart (wink!). Love,
Jennifer Rothschild