Does Anyone See?

by Annie Yorty

Have you ever felt unnoticed as you quietly served the Lord? Service to God often takes place behind the scenes. And some of our spiritual labor occurs on the inside, deep in the recesses of our hearts. Does anyone see?

Quiet Faith Rewarded with Sight

Anna unfolded her stiff body and rose from her hard bed. She dressed and shuffled from her meager quarters into the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. Many decades ago, the Temple had become her dwelling place.

In the beginning, Anna offered a sacrifice of praise to the Lord through tears of loss and grief. Widowed in the prime of life after only seven years of marriage. No heritage of children. Empty. Yet she hoped in the Lord.

Year after year, Anna filled her days and nights worshiping God. She fasted and prayed. An insignificant woman in the corner of the temple did not claim much attention from people who bustled in and out, bent on the business of fulfilling the Law of God.

This morning, Anna groaned as she climbed the stairs to assume her usual position. A raised voice drew her attention. “I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people” (Luke 2:30-31 NLT). Simeon held a tiny bundle of a baby as a shabbily dressed couple listened and watched, wide-eyed.

Anna’s heart leapt. She heard a voice—her own—pouring forth praises to God Almighty, announcing the birth of the long-expected Messiah.

Faithful Service

The nondescript woman named Anna occupies only three verses of the Bible (Luke 2:36-38), but her devotion to God shines down through the centuries to us today. She tasted bitter adversity when her husband died. From the well of her sorrow, she drew a refreshing, divine purpose for the remaining years of her long life. She worshiped God in the Temple. She prayed. And she fasted.

I admire her faithful devotion. After so much time had passed, did she wonder if anyone saw her?

Does Anyone See You?

How often do we feel like Anna may have felt, quietly serving God on the periphery, waiting, watching, and wondering?

• As a mom of young ones, you wake to every cry in the wee hours of the night. Does anyone see?
• You give 110% at work, but the boss hasn’t noticed. Has God noticed?
• Your aging mother-in-law barely recognizes you at your weekly visits. Is your effort worth it?
• You’ve cried your heart out to heaven for your wayward child. Where is God?

This list could go on and on. Our faith sometimes falters when hope is deferred.

God Who Sees

God spoke comforting words to a slave girl named Hagar who ran away and lay down to die in the wilderness. At the sound of His voice, she rose up and replied, “You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13 NLT). God’s eyes had been fixed on her through every moment of her life. The knowledge of His attentive care gave her strength to obey and serve Him.

God saw Anna quietly worship Him in that Temple every day of her life. He delighted in her and rejoiced over her with His own songs (Zephaniah 3:17). He rewarded her enduring faith with sight. At the age of eighty-four, she met her newborn Savior.

Her response? “She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38 NLT).

Has Your Hope Grown Cold?

Anna served with steady faith and remained vigilant, watching for the Messiah. She hoped God would not disappoint. At the fullness of time, God invited her into the Christmas story to see and worship baby Jesus.

Do you feel worn down, or perhaps even a bit jaded, as you quietly serve God?

Do you wonder, “Does anyone see?” Remind yourself of the truth.

God sees you.

He is near.

Seek Him this Christmas. He invites you to step into the very real presence of the Christ Child so you can worship Him like Anna. Allow His Presence to rekindle your heart and your hope.

O come, let us adore Him! (Click and turn up the sound)

Join the conversation:

What helps you to remember God sees you? How will you enter the Christmas story to worship Jesus this Christmas?

I always welcome your comments.

Copyright ©2024 Annie Yorty

My devotional, 25 Symbols of Christmas: Finding Jesus, is an excellent tool to help you come into Jesus’ presence and worship Him. You can also simply open the Bible and begin reading the story of Jesus found in the gospels. Pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you. He never disappoints.