Anna Bloomed Where She was Planted (Lesson 8)
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.
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.
We finish our verses today with this portion of Scripture …. 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.
Looking back at Anna’s life one has to assume that as a young wife dreaming of growing old with her husband and of the many children she would surely have, the reality of what actually happened was hard to deal with and was something that she would have never imagined. Spending her life as a widow alone was not the stuff her dreams were made of, but it was her reality.
Instead of becoming bitter or turning to the world for her survival though, Anna chose God over and over again. She chose to devote the rest of her life to serving Him regardless of what it brought. She ministered to others, prayed, fasted and waited. And then when the Christ Child was brought to the Temple, Anna knew this was Who she had been waiting for … the Messiah.
What did Anna do after seeing the Christ Child? She got even busier, giving thanks to God and telling others about Him. Anna never stopped working for God.
Anna, in our modern day terms, bloomed where she was planted. Her life surely had not turned out like she thought it would, but she didn’t let that stop her in her service to God.
Service to God comes in many shapes and forms:
Raising our children for the Lord is service to the Lord ...
Living a godly example to the best of our abilities is service to the Lord ...
Bible study, both personal and with others is service to the Lord ...
Fasting and praying are service to the Lord ...
Ministering to others through whatever means are available to us is service to the Lord …
Look around at others, look at yourself, what does serving God look like in your world? Are you blooming where you’re planted? Anna did!
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I'll meet you back here next Thursday for the final lesson in this study.
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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