Tell Somebody
READ
After Simeon's dramatic prophecy, Luke immediately introduces us to Anna. She's 84 years old, maybe older—the text is a bit ambiguous about whether she's been a widow for 84 years or is 84 years old total. Either way, she's ancient by first-century standards. She'd been married for seven years before her husband died, and she never remarried. Instead, she devoted herself to worship at the temple. Luke says she "never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." This woman had turned her life into one long act of worship. While others her age might have retired to take it easy, Anna was all-in. The temple was her home, prayer was her occupation, and God was her focus.
And then, "at that very moment," she came up to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The timing is perfect—right after Simeon's prophecy, Anna arrives. She'd been waiting too, just like Simeon. She'd been faithful too, just like Simeon. And she also recognized what others missed: this baby was the redemption of Jerusalem.
But here's where Anna's story becomes particularly powerful: she didn't just see Jesus and keep it to herself. She immediately began "to speak about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." She became a witness. An evangelist. At 84 years old, she found her voice and her mission.
Let’s take a moment to read Luke 2:36-40:
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.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
REFLECT
Think about how easy it would have been for Anna to stay quiet. She was old. She was a woman in a patriarchal society. She was a widow without social status or power. Nobody was asking for her opinion. She could have held this beautiful moment in her heart as a private treasure and let it end there.
But Anna understood something crucial: when you encounter God's redemptive work, silence isn't an option. When you see God keeping His promises, you have to tell somebody. So she became a megaphone for good news, telling everyone who would listen about this baby who would redeem Jerusalem.
Simeon got to hold Jesus and declare God's salvation. Anna got to see Jesus and declare God's redemption. Two faithful seniors who'd spent decades in worship, prayer, and waiting. Two witnesses who recognized what God was doing when others walked right past.
Anna's witness teaches us several things. First, you're never too old to serve God. Anna didn't retire from her faith; she intensified it. Second, faithfulness in hidden places prepares us for public moments. All those years of prayer and fasting in the temple weren't wasted—they positioned Anna to recognize and respond to Jesus. Third, God uses unlikely witnesses. A widow in the first century had virtually no platform, no influence, no power. But God used her anyway.
Here's the question for us: What has God shown us about His redemptive work? What have we seen Him do in our lives, in our families, in our world? And are we telling people about it? Sometimes we think we need a platform, a podcast, or thousands of followers to be a witness. But Anna just needed a voice and a willingness to use it. She talked to "all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem"—she found the people who were already seeking and told them where to look.
Maybe being a witness isn't about having all the right words or the perfect testimony. Maybe it's about being so captivated by what God has done that you can't help but talk about it. Maybe it's about staying faithful in the hidden places so that when God moves publicly, you're ready to point others to Him. Anna had nothing to lose and everything to gain by speaking up. So do we.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
How can you be a witness to God's redemptive work like Anna was?
What "hidden place" faithfulness might God be using to prepare you for public witness?
Who are the people in your life who are "looking forward to redemption," and how can you point them to Jesus?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Lord, give us the faithfulness of Anna—devoted to worship, committed to prayer, attentive to Your work. Help us to recognize what You're doing in our lives and in the world around us. Give us courage to be witnesses, to speak up about Your redemptive love even when we feel unqualified or overlooked. Use our voices to point others to Jesus. Amen.