When God become man: A widow's thanksgiving

"At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).

Simeon was not the only devout Hebrew who recognized the Messiah that day in the temple. Anna, an 84-year-old prophetess who had been a widow for several decades, was present, as she apparently always was. "She never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers" (Luke 2:37).

That day Anna's hunger for God was rewarded. When she encountered the infant Jesus, thanksgiving to the Lord poured forth from her lips. She also spoke continually about this Child to "all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." It is easy to imagine how many times through the years Anna had shared with these other Jewish people who longed for God's promised redemption. They probably talked of their hope and of the faithfulness of the God of Israel. Now, at long last, they had seen His redemption in a tiny babe.