an occasional series of meditations
How blessed are those who
dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising
You! Psalm 84:4
This woman was not
normal. She never left God's house, the temple, and apparently
she never did any "useful" work there either. So how
did she fill those seventy or eighty years after her husband
died?
With worship. Pure worship. Worship "in spirit and in truth," as Jesus later said. She prayed, filling her mind with God's word instead of her body with food. As she remembered how God had interacted with her people in history, she came to know Him herself, and so could recognize Him when He appeared before her, as promised, as a tiny baby.
You might think that we, with our full lives and busy normality, have nothing in common with this ancient, frail weirdo. I mean, I'd love to worship all the time too, but there's the husband, the job, the kids. . .
Did you know that Anna had an obstacle too? The temple was set up for men. There were three public areas: the outer one for nonJews, a middle one, and the central one. The real worship ceremonies took place in the central area, called the Court of Israel, while Anna was never allowed past the middle area, the Court of Women. She lived in a society where the men actually thanked God for not making them women!
So. We have responsibilities, but she was shut out. Can we truly say we worship God with all our hearts, even so?
With worship. Pure worship. Worship "in spirit and in truth," as Jesus later said. She prayed, filling her mind with God's word instead of her body with food. As she remembered how God had interacted with her people in history, she came to know Him herself, and so could recognize Him when He appeared before her, as promised, as a tiny baby.
You might think that we, with our full lives and busy normality, have nothing in common with this ancient, frail weirdo. I mean, I'd love to worship all the time too, but there's the husband, the job, the kids. . .
Did you know that Anna had an obstacle too? The temple was set up for men. There were three public areas: the outer one for nonJews, a middle one, and the central one. The real worship ceremonies took place in the central area, called the Court of Israel, while Anna was never allowed past the middle area, the Court of Women. She lived in a society where the men actually thanked God for not making them women!
So. We have responsibilities, but she was shut out. Can we truly say we worship God with all our hearts, even so?
Anna lived
most of her life in God's house,
worshipfully, joyfully awaiting God's Son.
There was nowhere she'd rather be than with her God.
Luke 2:36-38; Psalm 84
worshipfully, joyfully awaiting God's Son.
There was nowhere she'd rather be than with her God.
Luke 2:36-38; Psalm 84
So
God has given both His promise and His oath.
These
two things are unchangeable because it is impossible
for God to lie.
Therefore, we who have fled
to Him for refuge can take new courage, for we
can hold on to His promise with confidence.
This
confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor
for our souls.
It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. . . . . . .
It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. . . . . . .
Without
wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say
we have, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.
Hebrews 6:16-20a, 10:23
No comments:
Post a Comment
i look forward to your comments! Thank you for sharing them.