Praying in Faith: Lessons from the Magnificat (“Song of Mary”)
Have you written a letter to Santa yet?
Children will write a letter to Santa with full faith and expectation. And Jesus tells us to believe like children (Matthew 18:3). But do we pray with the same faith and expectation that children have when they write letters to Santa?
When Gabriel announced Jesus’ birth to Mary she accepted it with complete faith. That’s inspiring. The angel came and told her something unbelievable, irrational, and seemingly impossible. But she responded with, “I am the Lord’s servant may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). She responded with complete faith and expectation.
Later, Elizabeth, a relative of Mary and mother to John the Baptist, would tell Mary, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45). In response to this, Mary praised God. This response of praise to God has become known as the Magnificat or Song of Mary.
Let’s look at Mary’s song and see if we, too, can learn to pray and respond with full faith and expectation to God’s promises.
Rejoice in God’s Promises to You
This prayer of praise begins very personally. Mary takes time to celebrate God’s promises to her.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed…”
Luke 1:46-48
King David, a man close to God’s heart, once wrote, “Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly…”(Psalm 138:6). Time and time again the Bible reminds us of God’s heart toward the humble. He watches over them, lifts them up, and pours blessings and grace upon them.
When we are brought low by life’s circumstances it can be hard to believe God’s promises are true. The LORD said in Isaiah, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). We must cling to God’s promises like lifelines.
Mary clung to God’s promises and praised Him for making promises to her. God looks out for us. He looks out for you. This the the great promise of God. You are not alone. Cling to God’s promises. Have faith and rejoice in the promises God made to you. He will fulfill them. There will come a day when you are lifted up and blessed by God. Why? Because He watches over you.
So, rejoice in the promises God made to you. If He promised to fix something, then He will fix it. If He promised to never leave you, then He will always be by your side. Pause a moment and consider the promises God made to you personally or promises you find in His Word. Praise God! Rejoice and thank Him for His promises to you.
Praise God for His Power, Mercy, and Holiness
Second, Mary praises God for His power, mercy, and holiness. After reflecting on God’s promises to her she then praises God for His character.
“…for the Mighty One has done great things for me–holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
Luke 1:49-50
This is an interesting principle. Reflecting on God’s promises leads us deeper into His character and nature. We move from the personal to the universal. From the immanent to the transcendent. We get caught up in the beauty of who God is when we reflect on His promises. It’s almost as if we get distracted by God’s holiness. We would rather look at Him than what we can get out of Him.
Mary calls God the Mighty One. The first occurrence in the Bible when God is called Mighty is in Genesis 17. There God makes a covenant with Abraham and promises him children, land, etc. God is saying that He is able to keep His word. God will always keep His promises.
Also, Mary ascribes God’s name as holy. Who He is is special and unique. There is no one like Him. He is the One who must not be named. (Not because He is evil like Voldemort, but because He is so good). He does great things for His people, who believe and follow Him.
Mary reminds us that the mercy of the wonderful, Mighty God who keeps His promises was not only for Abraham, but for all of his descendants who come after him. From generation to generation. If you are a child of God then you are a descendent of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9). He is just as able to keep his word to you as He was to Abraham and Mary.
So, pause again and take a moment to thank God for His mighty power and ability to keep His Word. It is God’s power, mercy, and holiness that gives us a God-guarantee that God will fulfill His promises. Thank God for His power, mercy, and holiness.
Look Forward to God Transforming Your World when He Fulfills His Promises
Third, Mary looks forward to God transforming the world through the Messiah. When God fulfills His promises the world changes. Always. Mary took this to heart and looked in expectation to see God working in the world.
“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but sent the rich away empty.”
Luke 1:51-53
When God fulfills His promise your world will change. God’s promises are like steps He takes to make everything right.
Later in Luke Jesus preaches on His mission. He quotes from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of the sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19; Isaiah 61:1-2; Isaiah 58:6).
Jesus is exactly who you need Him to be. Not who you want Him to be, but who He needs to be in order to transform your world. Trust His promises and your world will change for the better.
So, pray with the expectation that Mary had. Mary expected Jesus to change the world. Expect God to change your world when He answers your prayers and fulfills His promises.
Praise God for His Faithfulness throughout Your Life
Fourth, Mary praised God because He has been faithful to His promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). Mary took the time after looking toward the future to look at God’s faithfulness in the past.
“He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Luke 1:54-55
We touched on this a little bit earlier. Mary knew her theology well. She knew her people’s history. God made a promise to Abraham to bless the world through him, and now that is coming to pass.
In short, she went throughout Israel’s history and traced how God had been faithful to the promises He made to Abraham. Now, they were passing through her and culminating in the birth of her son, the Messiah.
It helps us to pray in full faith and expectation if we take the time to do something similar. Travel throughout the epochs of your life and trace God’s mercy and faithfulness. There are glimpses of God’s faithfulness scattered all throughout our past if we take the time to notice. Look for those times in your life and praise God for them. They serve as little reminders of God’s past faithfulness and gives us hope to pray in full faith and expectation today.
Conclusion
Mary responded to the angel’s announcement with full faith and expectation. She trusted God and said, “Okay.”
Children trust that Santa will receive their letter and respond with the appropriate gifts. Likewise, Mary trusted in God’s plan and looked forward to the gifts it would bring into her world. We, too can respond like children to Santa…like Mary to God–with full faith and expectation. We can do that by:
- Rejoicing in God’s promises to us,
- Praising God for power, mercy, and holiness,
- Looking forward to God transforming our world, and
- Praising God for his past faithfulness.
Now that we have learned these lessons from the Magnificat, let us take a moment this Christmas season to pray in faith. Pray to God who gives good and perfect gifts (James 1:17). They’re better than Santa’s I’m sure. But if you want you can still write Santa.
