Tag: hopeless

Anna Receives Mercy from God

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Luke indicated in 2:22-23 that Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus went to the temple to offer a sacrifice for their new born son and for Mary’s purification. Law required that she wait 40 days after giving birth to a son to enter the temple and had to offer a sacrifice for her purification. This was an important event as they were consecrating, dedicating their new born son to God. All firstborn be it animals or people were to be dedicated to the Lord. During this event, they first met Simeon who had been told by the Lord that before he died he would see his Lord and Savior. He trusted God and believed God’s Words that he would indeed see his savior. He knew God to be a promise keeping God.

After their encounter with Simeon and hearing his prophesy, they encountered Anna a prophetess.

Luke 2:36-38  “There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 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.

Doing the math, she was over 91 years old and since the temple was very large, she lived there daily spending her time worshipping and praying. Being a prophetess, she would have received prophecies from the Lord. Other such women in the Bible were Miriam, Moses’ sister, Deborah the fearless leader during the time of the Judges, Huldah, Hannah and the daughters of Philip. Anna’s encounter with Jesus, Mary and Joseph was brief but revealing as God showed her the one who would redeem the Jews.

What can we learn from Anna and her encounter with Jesus? God knew the exact time in history that His Son would be revealed to the world. He placed Anna there at that moment to confirm for us that Jesus was His Son and had a divine purpose. He was not a random child of Jewish parents, but God’s Son. He was the one through whom God would redeem all mankind. God chose devoted followers to speak of Jesus’ coming work in the world. She was an elder, revered and respected for her lifestyle, devotion to God and her ability to speak prophetic words from God. Her appearance in the life Jesus was confirming for Mary and Joseph and showed how much God loved them. God wanted them to know, along with Anna, that Jesus was His Son and they were a part of His story. God was merciful to included them in His work to save mankind.

What do you know of God’s mercy? God in His mercy does not give us what our sins deserve. He restrains evil, holds back sin and limits the extent of our pain. His gospel goes into places where they have turned their back on Him and yet He seeks the lost and desires that they come to Him. When they turn to Him, in His mercy, He offers forgiveness, restoration and eternal life. God showed mercy towards the children of Israel by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, bringing them back from Babylon after 70 years of captivity and bring Jesus to reconcile us from our sins. When we repent and turn to Him, He gives forgiveness we do not deserve. Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Amazingly God can forgive and remove our sins. I love the image in Micah 7:19 “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” I marvel at God’s mercy when you consider the greatness and power of God and His love and compassion towards us. Psalm 86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Do you presume upon the mercy of God– thinking He will always be there, I can wait to ask forgiveness? Mercy and grace are closely related. Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve and Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. Don’t take God for granted. When you see or experience God’s mercy in your life be thankful and acknowledge His forgiving and merciful character. Humble Anna waited patiently and God was merciful towards her by allowing her to see Jesus. God is merciful to each of us too, and we just need to open our eyes and hearts to experience his mercy.

Linda

Feeling desperate? “Come to me,”-God

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Do you ever feel that nobody cares what is happening to you or will take time to listens to your emotional distress? Do you feel there is no one to help you in your time of need? All of us feel that way from time to time in varying degrees, but what do you do about it??? The Bible gives us hope as God promises to be that someone for each of us. David wrote in Psalm 34 about just those feelings and knew where to turn for help, comfort and understanding.

Psalm 34:17-18 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

Promise: God promises to hear our cries for help, deliver us from troubles, comfort us when we are brokenhearted and revive us when our spirits are crushed.

I take great comfort in this promise as it is rooted in God’s love. His love can find us and bring restoration. God desires to help those who love Him and He is committed to us. He wants to deliver us, as many times we are caught in the consequences of our own sins. I have experienced God’s deliverance in these times by a lessening of the severity of the consequences. I recognized His hand in my life and the circumstances and thanked Him for His help. It did not take away the consequence, but showed me how much worse it could have been without His help. When I have needed comfort, I have been overwhelmed by the way God uses others to come alongside me and put an arm around me or provide me exactly what I need. We may think we are alone, but God uses others in our lives to do His work. I need to keep that in mind when I feel nudged to help a brother or sister, call or write a note. The Holy Spirit is within us and can minister to others through us. When my spirits have been crushed, God has lifted and pointed me in a new direction. It was not instantaneous but little by little He revived and renewed me. I claim His promise from Joel 2:25a “I will restore to you the years  that the swarming locust has eaten,” I have definitely felt His restorative powers in my life. It is not the same as it was before I was crushed but new and different- restored! Praise God! Experiencing God’s love in these tangible ways deepens and confirms our faith. I confirms how much He loves and cares for us.

What we can know from these verses: God is accessible- He hears and listens, God is merciful and tenderhearted, God cares about me and my troubles, God can and does uplift and restore.

Lenten Reflection: Where have I felt God’s comfort, help or restoration in my life that I need to thank Him for His expressions of love towards me? Who is God nudging me to minister to in His name?

Related verses: 1 John 5:14-15, Psalm 103:8, Nahum 1:7, Joel 2:25, Isaiah 40:30-31, Psalm 90:1-2.

May you take strength from this promise in Psalm knowing God truly cares for you and will uphold and restore you if you will turn to Him. The key here is we have to humble ourselves and turn to Him for help. Because Christ died on the cross and rose again, we can come to Him in confidence knowing He will be there for us!
Linda