I stand, Lord, keeping eager watch 
as Anna did in distant times before me, 
filling the full measure of her years 
secluded in the temple 
in adoring expectation. 
Now I am heir to her post, 
a sentinel 
still waiting through the long darkness 
for the dawn of your return. 

All my longing is for you, O Lord, 
as I stand poised on tiptoe, 
straining with my whole being 
to catch that first glimpse of you. 

Shatter the darkness 
(oft times threatening to close in and surround us) 
with that fierce and burning brightness 
of your splendor and your beauty. 

Then I shall follow Anna's suit 
and raise my voice to you in glad thanks 
and tell of your redemption 
to all who've yearned so long for you.

[Jeanne Kun is President of Bethany Association and a senior woman leader in the Word of Life Community, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Poem copyright © 2001-2011 by Jeanne Kun. Used with permission.]