Anna: A Life of Faithful Waiting

 

2022 South wall of the temple, Israel

There are seasons when it feels like the promises of God are slow in coming. Days turn into years, prayers go unanswered, and hope begins to fade. Yet in the quiet corners of Scripture, there stands a woman whose steadfast faith reminds us that God never forgets His own.

Her name was Anna, a prophetess, a widow, and a woman who never stopped waiting for redemption.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
— Luke 2:36–37, ESV

Anna’s story begins with sorrow. She had known love and companionship for only seven years before her husband died. In the culture of her time, a woman’s security and place in society were often tied to her husband. Yet instead of growing bitter or retreating into despair, Anna devoted herself completely to God.

She became a fixture in the temple courts of Jerusalem, a place of constant worship, prayer, and waiting. Luke tells us she “did not depart from the temple,” suggesting that she made her home in the presence of God.

Her tribe — Asher, one of Israel’s lesser-known northern tribes — had once been associated with prosperity and blessing (Genesis 49:20). Yet by Anna’s time, those northern tribes were scattered. Still, she remained steadfast — a remnant of faithfulness amid a fading world.

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
— Luke 2:38, ESV

For decades, Anna prayed for the coming of the Messiah — the promised Redeemer who would rescue Israel and bring light to all nations. She waited through silence, through Roman occupation, through personal loss. Yet she never stopped believing.

Then, one ordinary day, the extraordinary happened.

Mary and Joseph entered the temple with their infant son, Jesus, to fulfill the law of Moses and dedicate Him to the Lord. There, an elderly man named Simeon held the child in his arms and declared that his eyes had seen God’s salvation (Luke 2:25–32).

And at that same moment, Anna appeared.

Her long years of fasting and prayer suddenly culminated in the sight of the Savior she had longed for.

Imagine Anna’s heart in that instant — the years of loneliness melting into joy. She had spent her life in quiet obedience, and now she stood face to face with the promise fulfilled.

She didn’t keep the moment to herself. Luke tells us she immediately began to praise God and to speak of Jesus to all who were waiting for redemption.

Anna’s joy overflowed into witness. She became one of the first evangelists of the newborn Christ — a woman proclaiming salvation to those who still hoped for God’s deliverance.

In the first-century Jewish world, widows were among the most vulnerable. Many depended on family or the generosity of others for survival. Yet Anna lived boldly counter to her culture.

She chose worship over worry, devotion over despair, and presence in God’s house over comfort in her own.

Her life reminds us that faithfulness isn’t measured by what we achieve, but by whom we trust.

While others hurried through life, Anna remained in the stillness of the temple — fasting, praying, and trusting that the God who promised would be faithful to fulfill.

Anna’s story is just three verses long, yet her faith echoes through centuries. She teaches us that:

1. God sees the ones who wait. Even in the quiet and hidden seasons, God is working.

2. Loss does not end our purpose. Anna’s widowhood became a doorway to deeper worship, not despair.

3. Faith grows stronger in stillness. She wasn’t striving — she was abiding.

4. God’s timing is always perfect. After decades of waiting, Anna saw the very face of redemption.

We, too, live in a world that longs for redemption — a culture searching for peace, yet running in every direction except toward God.

Like Anna, we may find ourselves in seasons of waiting, disappointment, or change. Perhaps the dreams we once held are no longer possible. Maybe the help we once relied on is gone. In those moments, it’s easy to feel forgotten.

But Anna’s life whispers to us: Keep praying. Keep watching. Keep worshiping.

God is never late. His promises may unfold slowly, but they are sure.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
— Lamentations 3:25, ESV

Sometimes I find myself like Anna — standing in a season that feels like waiting. I look back at dreams that have faded and forward at promises yet to come. It’s easy to grow restless, to want to fix things on my own, or to feel unseen.

But then I remember Anna — her quiet strength, her unshakable faith, her constant worship. She reminds me that the long years are never wasted when they are spent in the presence of God.

And one day, like Anna, every believer will see the promise fulfilled — not in a temple, but in the eternal presence of the Savior we have loved and waited for.