WEDNESDAY Luke 2:36-38
• Anna came up to Joseph and Mary “at that very moment”—joining Simeon. How deftly God timed the arrival of these two aged seers to uplift Jesus’ parents! Has an “at that very moment” experience helped you trust in God’s care? How can trust in God’s timing help you hold on when you’re waiting for something you need or want very much?
• Luke called Anna a prophet. In the Bible, “prophet” meant, not so much one who tells the future as a person who sees present spiritual realities clearly and speaks for God. How could knowing that a prophet like Anna had recognized Jesus fortify Joseph and Mary for the tasks they faced? When has a discerning person been God’s voice to you?
Reflection by Ben Trawick:
Okay, I’m just gonna get this out of the way right off the bat, I’m not perfect. I know! I was as surprised as you are when I discovered this little fact about myself. The truth is I screw up royally and regularly. After one particularly nasty blunder on my part I was sitting with a close friend and mentor and he was encouraging me to pick myself back up and to learn from this mistake. Another thing he asked struck me, “What will you do when this happens again?” “Again?” I thought. Surely I couldn’t mess up this badly again! The truth is, without that small comment I might have left that conversation thinking I had everything under control and wouldn’t have to worry about making that mistake for the rest of my life. Thankfully, in that very moment, God put that person in my path to ask the right question. Now I live on guard and in prayer that God will keep me safe from the temptations that I know I’m vulnerable to. In today’s reading we saw another example of God’s “in that very moment” style timing. God brings the prophet Anna to reassure and reaffirm the work Mary and Joseph are doing as they raise the Son of God! Remember, God’s timing and our timing are very different. We don’t often see the world or even our own circumstances the way God sees them. When you are going through difficult times take care to look at the people God places in your path. Because, in that very moment, one of them will get to be Jesus to you!