Anna-The Praying Widow
_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; and she was a WIDOW of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple but served God with FASTING AND PRAYERS NIGHT AND DAY…LOOKED FOR REDEMPTION IN JERUSALEM. Luke 1:36-38._
You have heard about Hannah the mother of Samuel; a woman who ROSE TO PRAY UNTIL SHE GAVE BIRTH TO THE HELP THAT ISRAEL NEEDED! Her story is recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures. There is another Hannah (Anna in Greek) who also chose the way of prayer. Her own story is recorded in the New Testament Scriptures.
This woman lost her husband seven years into marriage. We are not even sure if she had children. Obviously she would still be very young, most likely in her late twenties. And *One of the great traumatic event in life is the loss of spouse at a young age.* May the Lord spare you of this!
This sudden, unexpected event had the possibilities of making out of Anna a sorrowful, depressed, frustrated and even a promiscuous woman. But because Anna had a close relationship with God, she was able to turn her sorrowful situation into sacrificial service unto God. Rather than becoming broken by life’s challenges she was made strong at her broken places!
While she had many options laid before her, this *young widow chose to devote her life to prayer!* Rather than relocating to another husband’s house, she relocated to the house of God which God has said shall be called the house of prayer for all nations. And for the next 84 years of her life she entered into the consecration of PRAYINGS WITH FASTINGS. And her request was not many. She was single and focused in her request; she was praying for the REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL! And for eighty four years she pursued this request in prayer! *The Redemption of Israel became her PRAYER PROJECT.* And this did not become an abandoned project in her hand. I believe strongly that Anna was one of those who hasten the arrival of Jesus is His first advent. What a commitment. What a consistency. What a consecration.
God is still looking for women today who will chose the way of prayer and praying that will birth supernatural help on earth. God is looking for women who will give birth to church revival, national transformation, godly seeds and Divine ideas by the instrumentality of prayer. An aged Christian woman sent a message to me last week that God has called her to intercession for her nation and I should join her to pray for grace to fulfill that calling. Of such service God is well pleased.
The scarcity of the acts of God on earth is the scarcity of prayer and praying people. God cannot do anything on earth except in response to the prayer of His saints. Prayer is the only means of inviting God to work in the affairs of men. Failure to pray is success in edging God out of the spot where He can work and an opportunity for evil to triumph.
Would you RISE (out of laziness, sleep, sorrow and depression) to PRAY? Would you be a volunteer for Jesus? Would you be a soldier true? Others have enlisted as part of God’s Prayer Warriors. Why not you? You cannot tell the impact of your prayers until you RISE TO PRAY.
*Schedule prayers into your day. Make prayer timetable. Write prayer points. Have prayer projects. Add fasting to it. Our nations need prayer. Marriage institution needs prayer. The church of Christ and Christian leaders need prayers. The world of lost sinners needs prayer.*
The energy you need to do every other thing is the same you need to pray.
ARISE THEREFORE, AND BE PRAYING. AND THE LORD BE WITH THEE!
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