Passion for His Presence

I'm very excited to share this post!  

I recently started reading a book on Kindle called Pray What God Says.  At the same time, I am doing a Bible study with some friends online, and we are studying the book of Luke.  I was kissed by God as these two resources overlapped one another about the prophetess Anna!

The portion of Scripture is Luke 2:36-38, and the key points that jumped at me were these:

*Anna departed NOT from the temple (His presence)
*She served God with fasting (abstaining to focus on Him)
*She served God with prayer (expressions of help or praise)
*She served at night (seasons of challenge, darkness, valleys, dry places)
*She served in the day (seasons of good times & blessings)
*She gave thanks to the Lord
*She spoke of Him to all who looked for redemption

What a woman!  Here, she lost her hubby, but instead of isolating herself, withdrawing from the Body, pouting or sulking in her pit of despair, Anna gave herself to God...and she did so for years!

She was purposeful and proactive!  

Maybe she learned something through her ordeal.  Maybe the enemy's attack on her husband made her downright mad enough to stop being reactive and start doing things a little differently.  We don't know.  But what we do know, is that Anna chose to be a living sacrifice.

She offered herself to God and created an atmosphere where His presence was welcome.  Like Jesus, she withdrew long enough to seek the Father and came back full of passion and purpose...over and over again!

She found out how to bring heaven to earth!  Her prayer kindled her passion for His presence.  It caused her to exalt God above all else.  She came to experience what the Word says in Hebrews 11:6...that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently.

She not only partook in the reward of speaking to those who looked for redemption, but she also got to see Redemption with her own eyes as she watched Simeon bless the baby Jesus when His parents brought Him to the Temple! 

Get away.  Seek God.  Exalt Him above all else in your life. Talk to Him.  Listen to Him.  Bask in His presence.  Let your passion for Him grow.  Out of that passion, will spring an admiration for Him that you can't shut-up about, as well as rewards you never imagined!