October 30 Daily Devotional

Anna the Widow

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading:

Luke 2:36-38

³⁶And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
³⁷And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
³⁸And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Devotional:

What do widows do with their lives? The life of a woman, designed to be a helper, is very much bound up with the life of her husband. She usually depends upon him for protection and support, but she depends upon him more for love and companionship. Since the life expectancy of women is greater than that of men, the woman may well expect that she may outlive her spouse.* And when he is gone there is a deep void. What does she do?

If she is a Christian she will find that her Saviour can ease the ache. He can, during these years to come, mean more to her than ever before! This will not be automatic, but by God's grace it can occur. But how? Again we ask, what can a widow do?

What did Anna do? She spent her time actively serving God. In many cases widows have fewer responsibilities than other women. There are many things they can do in the form of service in God's kingdom. Now is the time to take a hard look at themselves and their gifts, perhaps even in consultation with their minister, and see how they may best serve God in this new period in their lives. There are persons who desperately need a friend or a home, lonely young people who need a foster aunt. Some widows express their love and concern for others by visiting, sending notes, taking flowers or cookies to shut-ins. Some volunteer their secretarial skills to the church. Some perform a real ministry with Christian books. Some take a special interest in other widows. And, most of all, many widows rejoice that they have time to study God's Word and pray as never before!

When the husband dies life is not over for her! God has many special things for the woman who, like Anna, purposes to serve Him. There will be loneliness certainly, but if she belongs to God her life can even take on new dimensions during these years.

* According to the Statistical Abstract published in 1976, a female aged thirty in 1977 has a life expeccancy of 78.2 years and a male 71.8 years.

We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.