About a year ago, after I had just turned 40, I was riding in the car with my husband and kids. Out of the blue, one of my lovely family members mentioned that I was middle-aged now.
Honestly I thought, “No Way!” I don’t feel middle-aged, and I, for sure, didn’t like the sound of that. So needless to say, I decided to Google, “What age is middle age?” Even though the age ranges came back anywhere from 35-65, I succumbed to the fact that I may actually be middle-aged or at least on the verge!
Just in case I have brought on a state of depression for anyone else, I am now going to tell you the good news… God loves you and can use you no matter your age.
Recently, I’ve been studying Anna, a relatively little-known 84-year-old woman in the Bible. She is not well-known because she is only mentioned in 3 verses in the Bible.
Luke 2:36-38 NLT 36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four.[a] She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
This is at the end of the story of Jesus’ birth and many people could definitely attest that the mentioning of Anna was definitely overshadowed by the rest of the chapter. On the contrary, I feel the mentioning of Anna is more like icing on the cake of this beautiful birth story. I believe any time God mentions women in the Bible it is a testament to God’s love for them and His desire to showcase His creation.
Now what makes Anna special? What did she do to be blessed with three verses in the Bible at the lovely age of 84? It’s not about what she did in those verses. I believe it is about the life she had lived before the verses. Most people focus on the fact that she came to Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus and gave thanks for the Son of God, but I challenge you to focus on the fact that for years she was FAITHFUL… faithful to her Creator, faithful to what God had for her, faithful to be watching and waiting for the glorious appearing of Jesus.
In verse 37, it says that Anna never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Now, that’s faithfulness. Are you being faithful to what God has given you? Are you being faithful no matter your age? Are you being faithful despite your circumstances? Anna saw baby Jesus because of her faithfulness. What blessing is unlocked with your faithfulness? May Anna as one of THE DAUGHTERS of God challenge us to live our lives FAITHFUL.
About our guest contributor-
Leah Velarde
Besides being sister to our lead pastor, Blake, Leah is wife and co-laborer with her husband Alex, pastor of LifePoint Fellowship Church in Tyler, Texas. She has served in ministry 19 years. She has over 12 years of experience training leaders in all walks of life, and currently, she is a Career Success Coach at the University of Texas at Tyler. Leah is mother of a son and two DAUGHTERS. Leah has such a heart to see all of THE DAUGHTERS empowered and strengthened in their walks with God.
