The Believer’s Ultimate Hope – Luke 2:36-38

The testimony of Anna the prophetess is all about hope. She is the fourth person- after Mary, Joseph, and Simeon- to witness Jesus Christ as an infant. Her testimony of hope speaks of every Christian’s ultimate hope in all circumstances.

The Necessity of the Christian’s Hope
Hope does not happen by chance. Biblical hope is not wishful thinking, but it is a confident expectation that is based on trusting God’s promises. Christian hope never fails. It is resolute and fixed, and will not let go until it is fulfilled.

Luke provides us a brief summary of Anna’s life. Anna was a prophetess, saved by faith, who tragically became a widow after seven years of marriage. In biblical times, being a widow or an orphan was one of the most helpless circumstances one could be in. Anna’s life disproves the false belief that Christians will always have easy and wonderful lives. Anna experienced real calamity, but instead of crumbling in hopelessness under her circumstances, Anna hoped in God, who is sovereign over all. He causes all things to happen, both good and bad, and He directs them all to His glory.

Keeping Hope
Anna needed hope, just as we all do. What helped Anna keep hope? After she became a widow, Anna clung to God. She didn’t depart from the temple, but she constantly abided in Him. Moreover, Anna pursued holiness. As a young widow, she may have faced many temptations to sin, but she sought fellowship with God by being holy, for without holiness, no one can see God. (Heb 12:14) Third, Anna served the Lord with a willing heart. She worshipped Him and treasured Him because of her love for Him. With a zealous heart, Anna served night and day with fasting and prayer. Fasting implies absolute dependence on God, and prayer is every believer’s primary way to keep hope alive. To keep hope in God, we must abide in Him, pursue holiness, and serve the Lord in love and absolute dependence.

The Source of Hope
Anna was waiting for God in hope, looking for the redemption of Israel. The object of her hope was the Savior who would redeem us from God’s curse on us for sin. The wages of sin is death, but God came as man to pay this debt on the cross, setting us free from the bondage of sin, the law, and our bodies of sin. Jesus, the Son of God, paid this price for our redemption with His blood. Anna’s hope was fulfilled as she heard Simeon’s testimony of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate source of our hope. Our hope in Jesus is not created by man, but it is given to us by God as we believe and trust in the gospel.

How do you know you have hope? Like Anna, anyone who has hope will praise God because it is only by redemption that we can truly praise Him. Also, Anna immediately began to share the gospel. She knew Jesus was the source of redemption because she experienced it in her own heart, and she couldn’t help but proclaim the good news to others. Jesus Christ is our only hope. In Him, we will never be defeated by suffering, but will continually rise up again, eager to share the reason for the hope that is in us.