Devotion to God

Ephesians 6:18 Offer prayers and petitions in the Spirit all the time. Stay alert by hanging in there and praying for all believers. (CEB)

        Anna, the prophetess, was a widow who devoted her life to serving God. She was the daughter of Phanuel and was from the tribe of Asher. The Bible describes her as being very old. She had been married for seven years, but then her husband died. It is unclear if she was age 84 or if she had been a widow for 84 years. Whichever the case, she was well advanced in years. She made the temple her home where she worshipped the Lord day and night through prayer and fasting.

        She lived to see the baby Jesus and his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. Anna prophesied over the child and gave thanks to God concerning the Savior that He had sent. Not much else is said in the Bible concerning the Prophetess Anna. Nevertheless we can learn a lesson from her life. She was rewarded in her old age for her dedication to God by being able to set eyes on the Savior prior to her death. What a great reward to be able to look upon the face of Jesus. 

        We are to make prayer a part of our daily lives. Just as we communicate with others, God expects us to communicate with Him. He is the most important person with whom we desperately need to be in constant contact with. The prophet Daniel prayed to God three times a day and when confronted with evil, he still continued to pray. Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (NIV) God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. He takes great pleasure in the persistence of those who refuse to give up even when things look dim. 

            We see this in the story of Jacob. Jacob wrestled with the angel and refused to let go until he was blessed. Genesis 32:24-26 ⁽²⁴⁾So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ⁽²⁵⁾When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ⁽²⁶⁾Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (NIV) Jacob could have given up, but his determination to seek God even while wrestling with an impossible situation allowed God to bless him beyond measure for his faith. 

            God expects us as warriors to utilize the tools that He gives us with one of them being the power of Prayer. A warrior in Christ must continuously be on her knees in order to stay fueled with the Spirit to defeat the enemy. With God as the power source, the devil is sure to be electrocuted beyond recognition and sent back to the pits of hell from where he came. 1 John 5:4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (NIV)