Watching and Praying

   

                                       Worship in the waiting

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.” Luke 2:36

I recently heard that the fruit of worship is a lifestyle. We have to choose to worship it isn’t something that will automatically happen. It is a learned thing to worship especially when everything in us wants to tell us give up. But the continual heart that chooses to worship is one that is an overflow of His goodness. Waiting is a part of the call and when we wait it makes us more like Jesus. 

Anna had every reason not to worship God. But the bible says she didn’t leave the temple and worshiped God night and day with fasting and prayers and she got to see Jesus. She got to place her eyes on God in the flesh. In the temple where she was night and day the Son of God that she had been waiting, praying and fasting for she could now see. 

Prayer is where our faith muscle develops. That is also something I recently heard and that also made me think of fruit. If my life is lived in a way that glorifies the Lord, no matter what I encounter my choice should be to worship. My choice should be to pray and thank God in advance. 

“Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning, I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” Psalms 5:3

I wonder what Anna prayed. Even as she stayed in the temple did she get discouraged waiting?  I wonder if she ever felt like giving up or that her prayers would never be answered. Or maybe she just kept reciting what she knew to be true. And once she encountered the Christ the bible says, “She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:38 

God wants to work in and through us. We give Him that permission when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts in worship. I can almost envision it in the temple. The dedication she had to stay and then the One that she had been told about was there. Her everyday normal life suddenly came into focus. She recognized Jesus and knew his significance for redemption because she was worshipping in the waiting. She was expectant, IN the waiting.

Do I recognize the Redeemer in the waiting?

Father,

Help us have that heart posture of remembering and praising you. You redeemed us so that we can know that we are spoken for. You chose us before the world began. Your Holy presence lives in us. That temple was destroyed so that we could experience redemption through Jesus. The final sacrifice gave us the freedom to live beyond ourselves. Thank you, Jesus. Help us to wait with expectant hearts. Amen