Day 1 – Similarities & Comparisons

“The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.” Psalm 6:9 NLT

As I was studying the Gospel of Luke, I was immediately drawn to Mary’s Magnificat. (Her prayer of praise). The words felt so familiar, and the similarities just jumped from the page. I flipped to the Old Testament to the prayer of Hannah and there it was. Mary’s words were almost a carbon copy of what Hannah prayed years before.

It is undeniable that repetition in scripture draws the attention of the reader to something important and in this case emphasizes a pattern of prayer by these two women. Evidentially Hannah pleaded in prayer and the result of her praise was the gratitude of her thanksgiving through prayer. We do not know the intimate prayers Mary prayed, but her gratitude echo’s that of Hannah at the fulfillment of the prophecy of the long-awaited Messiah.

Friend, I have had my fair share of feeling that my prayer words just bounce back from the ceiling. Though I know that God always hears His children’s prayers, it sometimes feels like I’ve lost the connection. Through this devotional, we will look at the similarities and comparisons between Hannah and Mary’s prayers which you can echo into your prayer life.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your beautiful Word and that we can turn to it when we are at a loss of words to utter in prayer. Lord, please guide us with wisdom to understand this pattern, and teach us to mimic the pattern formed by Hannah and Mary to establish a stronger prayer relationship with you. Amen.