Anna, a prophetess, was a widow of great age. She had been married for seven years before her husband had passed away, and was about eighty-four years old. She stayed in the temple of Jerusalem and served God by fasting and praying night and day. One day, she happened to witness Simeon blessing the baby Jesus in the temple—and immediately Anna gave thanks to the Lord. The deeds of one elderly woman and her reward, like the widow with the two minas (Mark 12:41-44), have a lasting record in the Bible.
Since becoming a widow, Anna left her home to worship God in the temple. We can imagine that in the beginning, others who came to the temple would have seen her and perhaps remarked on her presence. Some may have known of her widowhood; others might have questioned or even mocked her presence. After many weeks and months, she would have become a fixture mostly ignored.
She had no husband and possibly no close relatives who would care for her. She was alone and left to the humiliation of others. Yet Anna still fasted and prayed, never leaving the temple. She was not there to be seen by others. She was there to serve God with the best of her ability. She might not have been able to prophesy throughout Jerusalem or Judea, but she worshipped God unsparingly. This is true devotion: not for others but for God.
We can all serve God to the best of our abilities. Regardless of our age we can work for the Lord and devote ourselves purely to Him throughout our lifetime. Even if we are retired or older, we can still spend our hours not by resting but by praying and offering supplications to God. Through this we will be blessed and, like Anna, receive our true reward in the end.
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