There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38
Anna lived a life fully devoted to God. At first glance, we might think we could never live up to being as devoted as Anna. Obviously, we can’t live at our church, spending all hours of the day and night worshiping and praying.
But it is possible to be just as devoted as Anna. We don’t need to stay in the temple (church) because our body is the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). We have access to God 24/7. Learning from Anna and some of my own life experiences, here are some ways I believe we can walk in full devotion to God.
- Pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5:17). We can pray without ceasing by keeping an ongoing conversation with God throughout our days.
- Worship. Worship is not just limited to singing, but anything we do can be done as an act of worship. Worship has to do with a posture of humility and a focus on Jesus.
- Make fasting a regular part of your walk with God. Anna fasted. We can participate in fasting individually as God leads us and we can also participate in corporate fasts with our churches. Fasting is tough for me. I don’t like the feeling of being hungry. But it does bring me closer to God. And sometimes breakthrough requires fasting. See Mark 9:14-29.
- Tell others about Jesus. Anna told others about the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ last instructions to his disciples were to go and make disciples in all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We are also called to share the good news of Jesus. In all honesty, this is not my strong suit. Often I’m not sure how to go about bringing up the Gospel in conversations with random people I meet or even people I see regularly. I’ve been praying for God to give me the right words, open the door in conversations, and give me the boldness to do this.
- Stay in God’s Word. I love studying God’s Word, but it wasn’t always this way. I know it’s hard for some, but it’s imperative if you truly want to live a fully devoted life. It’s one way to stay connected to God, and it’s how we learn to hear His voice. If we don’t know what He says in His Word, we can’t discern whether something we are hearing in our spirit is from Him.
- Meet with other believers regularly. God made us
to be connected to one another. We need each other for encouragement to keep going, for accountability to live in a way that is pleasing to God, to rejoice with each other in good times and mourn with each other in hard times. Growth is exponential when it happens with a community because you have people cheering you on in your race.
Lord, I want to be fully devoted to You. It’s a daily struggle to surrender my own desires in order to follow Your ways and plans for my life. Thank you for giving me Your Word and surrounding me with believers who set an example for me and encourage me to keep walking with You. Give me boldness to tell others about You and help me keep my focus always on You so I don’t lose sight of eternity. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What are some ways that help you walk in full devotion to God?