Luke 2:36–38

Luke 2:36–38

"Anna, a prophetess, was there at the Temple. She was from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. She was now very old. She had lived with her husband seven years before he died and left her alone. She was now 84 years old. Anna was always at the Temple; she never left. She worshiped God by fasting and praying day and night. Anna was there when Joseph and Mary came to the Temple. She praised God and talked about Jesus to all those who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem."

Anna means grace—the same name as Hannah, who birthed Samuel and ushered in Israel’s first king. Hannah’s tears became the doorway for David’s throne; her womb was the hinge on which a nation turned. Centuries later, Anna stood in the Temple like Jacob at Peniel, the place where a man wrestled God and lived. She wrestled not with hands but with fasting and prayer, clinging to the promise until grace Himself appeared. Hannah introduced the king to Israel; Anna announced the King to the world. One birthed revival; the other revealed redemption. Both carried grace. Both carried fire. And through their surrender, God brought heaven’s rule into the earth—not by swords, but by women who would not stop waiting on Him.