Prayer Guide: Luke 1:46-55

By Daniel Henderson

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat 

Luke 1:46–55 (ESV)

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

REVERENCE

God’s Praiseworthy Attributes Found in this Text

  • The Lord – worthy of our praise – v. 46
  • Source of joy – v. 47
  • God our Savior – v. 47
  • Blesses the humble – v. 48, 52
  • Mighty – v. 49
  • Does great things – v. 49
  • Name is Holy – v. 49
  • Merciful – v. 50, 54
  • Eternal (generation to generation) – v. 50
  • Strong – v. 51
  • Scatters/humbles the proud – v. 51,52
  • Fills the hungry soul – v. 53
  • Good – v. 52
  • Rejects the self-sufficient – v. 53
  • Helps his servants – v. 54
  • Speaks to his people – v. 55

Possible Prayer Prompts:

  • Lord, You are worthy of our praise because You are…
  • I rejoice in You today because…
  • Thank you for saving me from…
  • Thank you that when I humbled myself, you blessed me with…
  • You are so mighty that You are able to…
  • I praise You for the great things You did when…
  • Your name is holy because You are…
  • Thank you for showing me mercy when…

RESPONSE

  • Because You give grace to the humble and reject the proud, I confess ___________________ as an evidence of pride in my life.
  • Because You fill the hungry with good things, I confess that I need a great hunger for…
  • Because You send the rich away empty, I confess my tendency toward self-sufficiency, especially when…

REQUESTS

  • Because You give mercy to those who fear You from generation to generation, I pray that ________________ (name of child/grandchild) will fear You and experience Your mercy.
  • I pray that You will extend Your arm and give strength to ___________________  (name) as they…
  • Because You fill the hungry soul with good things, I pray that You will fill _______________ (name) with…
  • Because You speak to Your people, I pray that You would speak to _________________ (name) about…
  • Because You speak to Your people, I pray that You would speak to me about…

READINESS

  • As we engage a proud and self-sufficient world, we trust You to scatter the proud as You…
  • As we face spiritual battles today, help us as Your servants so that we will…
  • When we face ________________ (temptations/trials) speak to us through Your word and remind us that…