Day 11 – The Song of Mary
Study Luke 1:39-56
“And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47
Mary believed. But she is not the only one in the Biblical canon who praised God for a child. We find the praise of Hanna in 1 Samuel 2:1-11. There are seven similarities in both godly women’s praise songs to the Lord. I find this a beautiful example of how we, as women, can praise our Father.
They start with rejoicing in the Lord. Hannah said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord!” and Mary – decades later – echoed, “How my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Starting your prayer with joy and rejoicing in the Lord aligns an attitude of gratitude to our Father.
“No one is Holy like the Lord,” Hannah praises. When we declare the infallible truth of God’s holiness, we recognise that we are human and He is holy. It’s a truth the enemy cannot even deny. Because God is holy, Mary sings, “For the Mighty One is Holy and He has done great things for me.”
Next, they both declare that God is their strength, as Hannah said: “There is no Rock like our God”. These ladies knew that what happened in their lives was not of their own doing, and they would never have been able to stand strong if it were not for God’s strength. Mary uses the figure of speech of God’s mighty arm, painting the picture of God’s strong arm doing great things on her behalf.
We do not know what Mary must have gone through when the town found out about her pregnancy, but from her praise (much like Hannah’s), we clearly see that God is against the proud. “He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” (Mary), and that He exalts the humble, “the mighty is broken, those who stumble are now strong.” (Hannah)-
The second-to-last similarity reminds me of Jesus’ own words: that He is our Bread of Life.
The last similarity underlines God’s help and protection. Mary focuses on God’s help, “Helped His servant Israel,” and understandably so when we look at the Roman rule over them. Hannah said he “will protect His faithful ones”. We might not understand the depth of these words and what they meant to them, but we can apply them to our lives today – knowing that God still helps and protects us regardless of what we face.
Pray with me: Father, it is with joy that we praise your name today like Mary and Hannah. O Mighty One, You are Holy and forever, Your goodness knows no boundaries. Your mighty arm is the strength we need every day and for what I need to face today. May we be humble servants of Your Kingdom and be proud in our thoughts and actions. Thank You, Jesus, for being our Bread of Life. Not just physical nutrition but spiritual as well. Thank You, Lord, for your help and protection in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ©
Love, Pastor Iriza
