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. Luke 2:36-37
“Let not us, then, who are in Christ — that is, always in the lights cease from praying even during night. Thus the widow Anna, without intermission praying and watching, persevered in deserving well of God, as it is written in the Gospel: She departed not, it says, from the temple, serving with fastings and prayers night and day. Let the Gentiles look to this, who are not yet enlightened, or the Jews who have remained in darkness by having forsaken the light. Let us, beloved brethren, who are always in the light of the Lord, who remember and hold fast what by grace received we have begun to be, reckon night for day; let us believe that we always walk in the light, and let us not be hindered by the darkness which we have escaped. Let there be no failure of prayers in the hours of night — no idle and reckless waste of the occasions of prayer. New-created and newborn of the Spirit by the mercy of God, let us imitate what we shall one day be. Since in the kingdom we shall possess day alone, without intervention of night, let us so watch in the night as if in the daylight. Since we are to pray and give thanks to God for ever, let us not cease in this life also to pray and give thanks.”
Cyprian of Carthage in Treatise 4.36 On the Lord’s Prayer.
Fasting at night is not hard. We are sleeping. By day, of course, is another story. Fasting by day simply teaches us that Christ is the only thing that satisfies. That’s what Anna learned by experience.
There are some who argue that the generous person needs to have a “balanced” life. It looks something like this, they “care for yourself” and then “care for others” but that care flows out of their capacity and depends on self rather than God.
Then there are people like Anna who “without intermission” serve in God’s house, day and night. How did she do it? What sustained or fueled her? The text reveals her secret: fasting and prayer.
If you are reading this, I urge you this Lent to stop pursuing a “balanced” life with frequent intermissions. as your ability to care for yourself is insufficient compared to what God can do for you, in you, and through you.
Instead, without intermission, live, give, serve, and love like Anna. In so doing, when you have desires, give them over to God and ask Him to fulfill them whilst simultaneously fueling you to bless others. See what happens.
You might emerge as a modern day Patrick. His life impacted all of Ireland. That’s my hope for Malawi. Today the national workers we have served will train about 60-70 trainers to spread the generosity curriculum in 28 districts.