THE PROPHETESS

Luke 2:36-38 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming 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.

We all love the CHRISTMAS STORY in Luke chapter 2. Inevitably, in a couple of weeks, as Christians, we will be reminded of the birth of our Saviour…the baby Jesus. However, in the crafting of the Christmas story in Luke 2…we also meet two very outstanding personalities; SIMEON, a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s CHRIST. Then, there is ANNA, a PROPHETESS. But her story seems to read differently than Simeon’s. In a very strange but brief way, HER BIOGRAPHY is summarized in a few sentences…i.e her family, her tribe, her marriage, widowhood and her prophetic ministry. For someone who spend decades on her kneels before the Lord, it might then seem ridicules for such a hero to receive no or very little attention.

But that is the whole point! You see, in the world we live in, even in the Christian world…people or leaders are recognized for their outstanding life-long achievements. We honor men and women of God who have given up much so as to serve in the Kingdom of God. And while it is rightful to do so, most of the time, great ministries and men and women of God are birthed through the prophetic office, and yet, it is rare to hear or see the prophet/prophetess being honored. And here is the reason why.

The prophetess/prophet usually lives their lives like most of us…having a normal eight to five job, married, have kids and deals with the issues of life on a daily basis. Yet, in spite of these, the prophetess is a WORSHIPPER! She has a life behind the closet…A PRAYER LIFE. Nations, people, ministries etc are birthed behind closed doors…and when the time come for them to stand out for all to see….like Anna, the prophetess come out to give thanks and SPEAK THE WORD as the Lord’s mouthpiece.

Are you a prophetess? Do not seek to stand out to be counted. Are you weary of seeing your prayers taking long to be answered? REMEMBER ANNA and be encouraged! Someone once said, “THERE ARE NO WASTE BINS IN HEAVEN!”