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spirit, and each one of us needs to lay hold of that. Let us take

on these features.

If we had gone to the temple in Luke 2 we would have seen a

woman there, a holy woman who had a meek and quiet spirit.

Think of Anna, what a sister she was! It says that she was

“herself a widow up to eighty-four years”, and our sister whom

the Lord has taken experienced widowhood. Then think of

these other features—“serving night and day with fastings and

prayers”; not just prayers, but fastings and prayers. Fasting, as

we know, shuts the flesh out, shuts the first order of man out.

Prayer brings God in, and our sister knew what that was. She

knew what fastings and prayers were. She knew what it was to

shut out the flesh,

and she knew what it was to bring God into a situation. Then it

says, “and she coming up the same hour gave praise to the

Lord, and spoke of him to all those who waited for redemption

in Jerusalem”, another characteristic feature that marks holy

women who have hoped in God.

What do they speak of? They speak of Christ. No matter

where our sister was, in her house, or after the meeting, she

spoke of Him. O, dear brethren, these are features that

characterize holy women, and they should characterize each

one of us; we should never tire of speaking of Christ.

Then when we come to Samuel we find Hannah. Another

feature that characterizes holy women is soul exercise.

Hannah is going through soul exercise here. She was in

bitterness of soul and she knew what it was to pour out her

soul before Jehovah. Even in the early years of her life, difficult

years, our sister knew what it was to pour out her soul to

Jehovah. She knew what it was to hope in God. That is what

saw her through. That is what is going to see each one of us

through as we hope in God. Hannah here is thinking not of

herself but she is thinking of Jehovah. She is wanting a man