While Simeon cradles Babe Jesus in his arms and praises and prophecies, Anna also is led by Holy Spirit to co-prophesy. She is of a great age at that time, 84. Today her age is more common. She has been in the temple fasting and in prayer night and day awaiting the salvation of Israel. Her worship includes her anticipation, as should our worship.
In worship we praise our glorious Heavenly Father for His care and mercies, for His forgiveness of our sins and our forgiveness of others sins, and we pray we will assist the reign of God which rules us and others to choose and lead with justice and Christ's truth. Each time we worship we choose to concentrate on the Presence of Christ among us and our great expectation of Jesus Christ's return to us.
For Anna, all of her prayers were answered the moment her eyes and soul beheld the salvation of the world Child. Can we imagine the joy that erupted in the many who were there expecting the salvation also? It is a love festival with folks speaking loud praises to God who have never spoken up before.
Prophesy spills out of Anna's mouth, coming from the wellspring of Holy Spirit's Light within her heart, to tell of the blessings unrestrained that will be found in Jesus' life. For He is the One who is to give us all of God. We look to Jesus Christ to see more about Who God Is and how we are to live. And all who give their lives to Jesus instantly become His disciples and are grafted into the chosen group of God's own.
Let us join the unbroken line of glorious worship that began with the shepherds, the wise men, Simeon, and Anna. For we arise each day to serve Jesus Christ more readily and love others with the kind of love in which we love our Savior who has given us salvation. And we may close the day with this kind of worship as we rest ourselves each night, knowing that we have God who tremendously loves us throughout eternity.
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38