A Prophetess
“An Old Woman Reading, Probably the Prophetess Hannah” by Rembrandt (1631), Location Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Source http://www.art-spb.ru (PD-Art, PD-Age-100)
“Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess…and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2: 36-38).
The prophetess, Anna, is described in the Bible as a godly woman who frequented the temple for many years after her husband’s death. It would have been more common for a widow to live with her children in old age, so likely Anna had none.
Despite the early loss of her husband and the absence of children, Anna does not seem to have grown bitter. Though she could easily have viewed herself as forgotten by Almighty God, Anna remained devout – decade in and decade out – finding her comfort in Him. And it was to Anna that the privilege was given of recognizing the child Jesus as the promised Redeemer, when Mary and Joseph first brought Him to the temple to be presented [1].
Not many of us are prophets by profession. God speaks to (and through) each of us differently.
Perhaps you are the spoon lifting soup to the lips of a dying woman, or the hammer driving home a point in court, so that justice might be done. You may be the plow, opening fresh fields to the word of God, or simply raising the wheat needed to feed a hungry world. If not that, perhaps you are blessed to be the wallet enriching others.
Do not underestimate your value in God’s eyes. He designed you for this moment. You bear His handprint. You can think and feel because He willed it. You can choose between right and wrong because He engineered it.
You are the channel through which His love can flow where it has never gone before. And you are redeemed by that love, Incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ.
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[1] The other individual privileged to recognize Jesus as the Messiah at the time of His presentation in the temple was Simeon (Luke 2: 25-35).
Have a Happy New Year!
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
“God speaks to (and through) each of us differently”. For sure Anna,each of us has been uniquely called and equipped to perform whatever role the Master has appointed us to do. How wonderful it would be if all of us would simply accept the role we have been given and faithfully attend to it.
For me personally,I tend to want to look for something bigger and better to do for the Lord.Thankfully,my wife tries to reign me back in by reminding me to “bloom where you’re planted”so that I will refocus my attention on what I’m supposed to do.
I’m afraid our fleshly desires often get in the way of us doing the things we are called to do,as we tend to measure the worth of things by the size of the task.None of can can see what He sees on the other side of obedience, and I have often noted that what seemed to be such a small thing actually had a tremendous impact upon the situation.
I trust this will not be seen as inappropriate, but your grasp of these spiritual concepts is both encouraging to me and somewhat unsettling at the same time. Encouraging in that you have a depth of understanding and sensitivity to God’s word that allows you to expound upon it in a way that few do. Your ability to courageously apply the core principals of the Christian faith to what are often difficult subjects is a breath of fresh air!
Unsettling in that you have set the bar for the rest of us quite high!
Have a blessed New Year’s!
Ron
That’s an extraordinary compliment, Ron. I don’t feel worthy of it, but am deeply gratified that you would think so well of me. May God grant us all a peaceful and Happy New Year!
A.