Advent Week 1: Prayer in Troubled Times

Mary’s Song of Praise, found in Luke 1:46-56, is a response of a young girl who was facing a tremendous challenge in her life; a challenge that could only be met with God’s presence, God’s word and God’s power.    Within that song we see Mary, the mother of Jesus, depending on God for what would be circumstances way beyond her ability to sort out.

Mary’s song is also called the magnificat, because it was one of the first hymns sung by the early church and put to music.  It is an amazing response of thanksgiving, praise, and prayer, despite facing something that would cast most young girls into despondency and despair.

We find three areas of prayer within Mary’s Song that are there to encourage each of us as we too face challenges in life.  The first area is Mary’s posture of praise and thanksgiving.  We read in Luke 1:46-47, “My soul magnifies the Lord… rejoicing in God my Savior.”    The challenge of explaining to her family and Joseph her pregnancy which would have only been seen as illegitimate and immoral brought her first to God.  We see a young woman of faith who ultimate understood that God would be her strength and Savior.

The second area in Mary’s Song is the strength she drew from understanding God’s purpose for her life as the mother of the Savior of the world.  “From now on…” Mary declared in Luke 1:48, “all generations will call me blessed.”  She understood that despite the challenge of explaining the impossible, a virgin birth, that God’s purpose was greater than her dilemma.

Finally, Mary drew strength from the fact that her call to be the mother of Jesus had a greater purpose in history, mainly how God was bringing salvation to earth through Jesus, who would ultimately die for sin and become our Savior.  But we should remember God used a simple village girl like Mary and God can use simple men and women like like you and I.  God’s Sovereign purposes in the Nativity can be a tremendous source of strength and encourage us in times of turmoil and uncertainty.  We read in Luke 1:50, God’s “mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation; He has shown strength with His arm…”

What are you facing this Christmas Season that could have possibly been greater than a poor village girl from Nazareth,  a challenge of  having to explain away to a incredulous fiancé and family a virgin birth?  And yet we see the virtue and faith of Mary as she praised God, understanding that God’s purposes were greater than her struggle.  Therefore she could say, “My soul magnifies the Lord… rejoicing in God my Savior.”