Luke 2:36-38 (NIV) There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary went to the temple in Jerusalem to present baby Jesus to God in obedience to scripture, they were met by Anna, an old widow who had dedicated her life to serving the Lord. She fasted and prayed continually and was always in the temple.

As soon as Anna saw the baby, she new exactly who He was. She knew immediately that this was the promised Messiah whom the Jewish people had been waiting and praying for. She began to spread the Good News about Jesus to all who were there.

Anna had an inside track with God’s incredible plan of salvation for mankind. She had included herself in that plan by continually seeking God by praying and fasting. God revealed His plan of salvation to her before Jesus was even able to crawl! God rewarded her dedication to Him by allowing her to not only to see and to know who Jesus was but to also have the privilege of declaring the message of salvation to others.

Praying and fasting brings rewards. It brings the reward of answered prayer, the reward of increased faith and the reward of greater strength to live a victorious Christian life. But one of the rewards that we sometimes overlook is the reward of being in on God’s plan as Anna was.  As we fast and pray, the Lord can reveal His plan to us and give us an inside track about things that He is doing that can bless not only our own lives, but the lives of everyone around us as well.

Pastor Joey Vazquez