Anna: Knowing What You're Waiting For

Read: Luke 2:22-40

In this final story before the celebration of Jesus birth we learn about the faithfulness of a two seemingly insignificant people, Simeon and Anna.  They both spent much of their lives at the temple, Praising God and serving him.  And yet they knew that they were a part of something much bigger.  They were waiting to meet the Savior of the world. 

Not knowing what you’re waiting for can be tough but knowing what your waiting for can almost be tougher, but in a very different way.  Have you ever looked forward to a big event.  It could be a concert by your favorite band, a sporting event, the premiere of a beloved movie franchise, or a big birthday party!  Whatever that event is you can be sure it’s circled on your calendar.  You count down the days till the big day.  As it gets closer you figure exactly many hours you have to wait till the event starts.  During that waiting, time seems to crawl by, minutes feel like hours and perhaps you wish you could simply skip forward in time to the big event.

 But then would we really appreciate that concert or birthday party.  What makes that event so special is the endless waiting beforehand.  If we never had to wait for anything would we ever truly appreciate something?  What if we jumped from what life highlight to the next?  None of the highlights would seem like highlights.  The only reason that event is special is because of all waiting involved with it. 

For Simeon and Anna they had been waiting their entire lives for this exciting event.  The longest I can ever remember anyone waiting for anything is about a year.  One of my best friends loves Spiderman and counted down 365 days to the release of The Amazing Spiderman 2.  For Simeon and Anna it was 60 to 80 years of going to the temple and asking the question, will this be the day that I meet the Lord?  The wait must have been almost unbearable for them.  But ultimately God rewards their faithfulness and patience.  And I’m sure that both of them would say that meeting Baby Jesus would not have been nearly as significant if they didn’t have to wait for a lifetime.  So next time you want to skip forward in time, remember the example of Simeon and Anna.  Remember that without the waiting the joy of event itself might be lost.