Day 1 

Ladies-In-Waiting

What do you think of when you hear 

“Lady- in- waiting"?  

Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was a lady of a queen's or a princess's household appointed to wait on her. Kate Middleton, now wife of Prince William, recently got married and the media couldn’t wait to hear who she chose to be her ladies in waiting. This brought the historical practice to light as we all read about the selection of her ladies. (here a picture of her sister who she chose as one of her ladies.) 

 

There are more modern interpretations of a lady-in-waiting that may come to mind.  One is of a young lady who has chosen to be pure until she is married, becoming God's best while waiting for her husband.  Another is of a lady waiting on the birth of her child. 

The term could be used several ways, but for this blog in the next 12 days and for this party I am focusing on the 

Ladies who are waiting for their Savior, 

either for His birth or His return. 

# 1  Lady-In-Waiting:

Anna

  

 HER NAME MEANS  "Favor or Grace". 



Her story is found in Luke 2: 21-38

And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel." And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed- and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had 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.

Her Character:   

She was a woman of prayer and devotion to God. A dedicated widow who spent most of her eighty four years fasting and praying in the temple. A thankful woman who thanked the Lord for his provision and spoke of Him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 

What she waited for:

She prayed and fasted and waited on the LORD for the promised Messiah, 

to redeem Jerusalem. 

Now, imagine if you will, a young couple proudly presenting their precious baby boy before family members and witnesses as that sweet child is dedicated to the Lord. Many churches today have some type of baby dedication service where Christian parents promise to raise a child in the ways of the Lord God. It is a joyous time in the life of a new family. A similar, although quite different ceremony, is where we find Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus in Luke 2:22-38.

According to the law of Moses, the firstborn of all creatures belonged to God. In Mary and Joseph’s day it was required that a firstborn son be redeemed from his service to the Lord. The pidyon-haben (redemption of the firstborn son) was an important rite for law-abiding Israelites. In a moving scene set against the backdrop of the temple, the father is asked by the priest to offer a sacrifice for the privilege of keeping his son.

Don’t you wonder how Joseph and Mary prepared for this occasion, how it played out in their minds as they traveled to Jerusalem? Stranger still is this paradox: in accordance with the law, the Redeemer of mankind was being taken to the Temple to be redeemed. And yet all was going exactly according to the plan of God.

   Whatever Mary and Joseph planned or imagined, I feel certain it was not their intention for the presentation to be interrupted by a stranger called Simeon on mission from God.  Nor do I suppose that the elderly widowed prophetess Anna’s appearance was anticipated. However, almost like surrogate grandparents, they fit perfectly into God’s plan for the day of His only son’s redemption ceremony.

There is no telling how long Anna or Simeon prayed for and awaited the day of the Promised One. Luke tells us very little about the uninvited guests other than both were devout followers of God. Although Simeon came to the temple grounds due to a prompting of the Spirit, Anna was a different story.  She never left the grounds. The eighty-four years of her widowhood were spent in service to the Father, praying, worshiping and fasting right there at the temple. Her nearly lifelong dedication was rewarded with the revelation of the baby Jesus, the Messiah. Luke also reveals that Anna didn’t keep the news to herself. She spoke to ALL who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Just as Anna waited for the Messiah’s arrival, we also wait. We watch and wait for Jesus’ Second Coming, for the day He comes to redeem us and claim us as His own. Because of examples such as Anna’s found in the Bible, I believe it’s evident that our waiting should be done patiently but not idly; the Lord has prepared good works for us to be doing. Anna was a devoted lady in waiting all her days, and scripture tells us that her devotion was rewarded.*

“For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.” Isaiah 30:18

TO PONDER IN YOUR HEART: How about you? Are you a lady in waiting–patiently, expectantly, and actively waiting on the Lord?

*(foot note: This was found on mentoringmoments.org/ Dec. 14, 2010 Lady in Waiting)