At some point during the seasons of Advent or Christmas you will hear these words of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is the opening of one of the Bible’s most important prayers, a song called the Magnificat, which is Mary’s response to God’s promised gift of a son. She sang it in the presence of Elizabeth, who was at the time pregnant with a God-promised child of her own. This song, which makes up the verses of Luke 1:46-55, provides a model for each of us—it is an outline for prayer and praise that can be used by all people, at all times.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:47). Mary’s prayer acknowledges an honest truth—we usually start praying because of a personal need. I’m not saying that Mary was self-centered, but her prayer starts in a way that most of ours do—with the most immediate, close-to-home concern that we face. Mary praised God for her gift, even if the result of this unexpected pregnancy would also bring a great deal of distress. When we pray, we also usually start with the anxiety and fear that hides just beneath the surface of our most immediate concerns.
He has shown strength with his arm (Luke 1:51). Our prayers might begin with personal concerns, but if we follow Mary's example, we will add to our supplications some remembrances of God’s acts of salvation. Indeed, our prayers should agree with Mary's words: “God has done great things.” The scriptures were revealed and preserved so that we might not forget God’s work—from past to present to promised future. When we pray, we place ourselves within that history, declaring God’s long-term saving work.
He has filled the hungry with good things (Luke 1:53). God is always on the look-out for those in need: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Our prayers should not stop with our own needs, but they should extend outward to those who are hungry, sick, impoverished, unclothed, and imprisoned. We should also pray for those who are broken in spirit.
He has helped his servant Israel (Luke 1:54). God cares for individuals, and God also cares for the nations of the world. The newsfeed on our TV makes a great prayer list. Every day the media provides us with an abundance of prayer requests: elections, famines, fires, warfare, storms, and earthquakes.
To Abraham and to his descendants forever (verse 55). Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote this about the Messiah: “For a child has been born to us…authority rests upon his shoulders…and he is named…Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). When you pray, keep in mind God’s ultimate goal—that in Christ all things hold together, and he will reign over and restore everything that is broken (Colossians 1:15-20). Christ will reign over all of creation -- all things seen and unseen.
It may be that our own immediate concerns drive us to our knees, but it is God’s overall saving work—past, present, and future—that gives us the hope we need to keep on praying.
This post first appeared as a column in the December 16, 2017 edition of the Henderson Daily Dispatch. If you have a subscription to that site, please click through to read it online.
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