By Patsy Norwood © 2026. All rights reserved. Any and all commercial use of this study is prohibited. Permission is given for use in ladies Bible classes as long as there are no changes made in the study and no monetary gain involved. This Bible study is written for women.
This week's lesson is short and sweet but packed with impact ... if we dare to 'take in' it's message and implications for our lives.
Luke 2: 36-38 (NASB)
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
This week we're looking at the phrase … 'she was advanced in years.'
We touched on the message behind this lesson earlier, but we're going to revisit it here and delve a little deeper ...
Anna was advanced in years or in other words, she was a senior citizen. We know from reading Luke 2:36-38 that Anna was at least 84 and possibly as old as 104 years old (Scripture is unclear on her exact age.).
We also know from reading this passage that in spite of her age, in spite of her being a senior citizen and in spite of enduring the ailments that aging brings, she continued to serve God.
At a time in life when a lot of ‘senior citizens’ feel like they’ve done their part and that it’s somebody else’s turn to fill their spiritual shoes, Anna gives us a different example.
Draw a box around the phrase ‘she was advanced in years’ in your Bible (Luke 2:36) and draw an arrow to the closest margin. Write ‘senior citizen.’ Anna, at the age of at least 84 and quite possibly 104 was still actively serving the Lord.
What an example!
Questions:
What are some ways ‘senior citizens’ can serve God? (I hope you will really think about this and comment. I'll compile the list with some I've come up with and post it in a separate post.)
If you are a younger woman, what kind of example would you like to see in an older woman serving the Lord? (Here again, I hope you will really think about this and comment. I'll compile the list with some I've come up with and post it in a separate post.)
For further study … Another aged woman of the Bible
Lois … a grandmother … II Timothy 1:1-5
Neither Anna nor Lois let their age stop them from serving God ... and neither should we!
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I love reading your comments, so don't be shy!
I'll meet you back here next Thursday for the next lesson.
May you be blessed by this study!
patsy @ From This Heart of Mine
~ a place for women to gather and study God's Word ~
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