Bible in a Year - Women’s Thematic Reading Plan | Day 69

Day 69 of the Women’s Bible Plan: Read Luke 2:36-38 and reflect on Anna, the prophetess who spent many years in the temple, serving God with fasting and prayers night and day. Through her life of long-term faithfulness, this devotional helps women learn patient prayer, quiet devotion, and courageous witness. 

🌸  Dear Sister, welcome to Day 69 of our reading journey. 

There is a kind of faithfulness that is not loud or dramatic. There is a kind of waiting that does not see quick results. It is the faithfulness of coming before God day after day, choosing prayer, worship, watchfulness, and hope even when there is no applause, no excitement, and no obvious change.

Anna was such a woman. She was well advanced in years. She had been married for seven years before becoming a widow, and afterward she remained in the temple for many years. Scripture says that she “departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Her life may appear quiet, but it carried deep spiritual weight. Her days may seem ordinary, yet before God they became a testimony of long-term faithfulness.

When Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus into the temple, Anna was there. She did not miss the moment when God’s promise was being fulfilled. When she saw the child, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. She had waited for many years, and at last she saw the Saviour. She did not only worship for herself; she immediately became a witness to others.

A Minute of Grace

Luke 2:36-38 introduces Anna in only a few verses, yet her life speaks with great depth. She was from the tribe of Aser, the daughter of Phanuel, and she was a prophetess. Scripture tells us that she was of great age, had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and was a widow of about fourscore and four years. She did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

Anna’s life carried real sorrow. To become a widow while still young and to live many years alone was not an easy road. She had experienced loss, and perhaps also loneliness, poverty, and many tears unknown to others. Yet she did not allow loss to draw her away from God. Instead, she rooted her life more deeply before Him. She chose to wait in the temple, to watch in prayer, to seek God through fasting, and to continue serving faithfully as the years passed.

From the perspective of “Women in the Bible,” Anna’s life is especially precious. She is not remembered because she was young, beautiful, socially prominent, or surrounded by a complete family. She is remembered because she remained faithful to God over a long period of waiting. Her life reminds us that God values not only outward achievement, but also the prayers offered in hidden places, the quiet service of many years, and the hope that continues even in old age.

Anna also shows us that people who live in long-term prayer often become more sensitive to the work of God. When Simeon blessed God and declared that the child was God’s prepared salvation, Anna came in at that very moment. She saw Jesus, gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. She did not keep her encounter with God’s salvation to herself. She became a witness to others who were waiting in hope.

Today’s theme, “Anna: Waiting in the Temple,” invites us to reflect: Are we willing to remain faithful in seasons that are long, quiet, and seemingly fruitless? Do we believe that God remembers long prayers, hidden tears, and unseen service? Our waiting may not end immediately, but in the waiting, our hearts can draw nearer to God and become more sensitive to His work.

Whispers for the Heart

1 Anna became a widow when she was young, yet she did not allow loss to take her away from God. Are there losses, loneliness, or regrets in your life that have made it difficult to keep moving forward? How does Anna’s story help you bring your pain to God instead of letting pain carry you away from Him?

2 Anna served God night and day with fastings and prayers, remaining faithful over many years. Are there prayers, ministries, or spiritual disciplines that have grown weary because the waiting has been long? Is God inviting you to recover a quiet, steady, and genuine faithfulness instead of only seeking quick results?

3 After Anna saw Jesus, she spoke of Him to those who looked for redemption. Are you willing for your waiting to become not only a personal experience, but also a testimony that encourages others? Who around you needs to hear that God is still faithful, still saving, and still worth waiting for?

As you read Luke 2:36-38 today, do not see Anna only as an elderly widow. See her also as a prophetess, a woman of prayer, a watchful servant, and a witness. Her life reminds us that those who remain faithful before God over many years will never be overlooked by Him.

Take a quiet breath before you begin. Bring your loneliness, waiting, weariness, prayers, and still-living hope before the Lord, and let His Word meet you there.

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Luke 2:36-38 (KJV) 

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

💡 Closing Thought · Faithful Waiting Is Not Forgotten 

After reading Luke 2:36-38, we see that Anna’s life was not measured by excitement or outward achievement, but by long-term faithfulness. She experienced loss, yet she did not leave God. She was advanced in age, yet she continued to pray, serve, and wait in the temple. At God’s appointed time, she saw the Saviour with her own eyes and shared the good news with all who looked for redemption.

As we close this page and return to real life, perhaps your prayer has also continued for a long time. Perhaps your service is rarely noticed. Perhaps your faithfulness feels ordinary and quiet. Remember this: God does not despise long waiting, and He does not forget hidden faithfulness. Every prayer, every act of endurance, every choice to draw near to Him even when weary is precious before Him.

May today’s Scripture remind you that those who wait faithfully are not forgotten by God. May you still have hope in long seasons, still find joy in quiet service, and when you see God’s work, bravely bear witness to His faithfulness for others who are still waiting.

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