Category: Devotions

Praying the Magnificat 1.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!

And it is then that it all comes together for Mary. Since being a small child she has known the stories of the coming Messiah. Now not even an adult and she has encountered a frightening angel who tells her an even more frightening message. There was only one place she could go to and it was the person who had also been given a miracle, Elizabeth. She is immediately welcomed and blessed and prophesied over. It is overwhelming. Out of the depths of her heart come a song. It is a song of God coming to His people. A song of hope and power. A song of courage to believe that His presence is everything. It is often known as the Magnificat which is the Latin translation of the first word ‘magnifies’.

Magnificat anima mea Dominum

 

Luke 1: 46 “And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord …”

NKJV And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord …”

How we need this song more than ever! I am hearing every week from Pastors that say their biggest challenge is the discipling of their church. Christians consider themselves members of churches and only now go to church services twice a month, some less. Leaders have disappointments and hurts to get over and it is not just the past they are living through nightmares right now. Vision cast years ago has gathered dust. Surely He is coming soon, isn’t He? The world has changed since we first began and the pressures on the church have increased as mankind tries to find its ‘saviour’. We are in a war like never before, strongholds have gathered to take down the Church, to belittle every Christian who thinks the best is yet to be.

Elizabeth was much maligned. She had been childless all her life, it was shame and her righteousness highly questionable with her not being blessed. Now she lives with the fact that the gossipers are doing their best, “have you heard?” “Elizabeth she is pregnant! How will she give birth without dying?!” Then there was the fact that her husband was now unable to speak. They were the talk of the town.

In the midst of such weakness, foolishness, heartache, fears, tiredness and pain. The list goes on and on. In the midst of an emotional rollercoaster comes a song, the Magnificat.

Prayer:

Almighty God, there is none who can compare with you.

I am surrounded by so many enemies. Some look like friends but their voices weary the hope within. Some are enemies who want to destroy the hope that I carry, they wage war against my soul.

With all the effort I can gather I burst out a song of praise to you today. I shout it louder than all the voices: My soul magnifies the Lord! My soul glorifies the Lord! With all my heart I praise the Lord! My heart praises the Lord! My soul exalts the Lord! My soul is ecstatic, overflowing with praises to God! Yes, my soul magnifies the Lord!

It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You!

My enemies may be pressing in, my body may be weak, my mind may be anxious, my circumstances may be impossible, but MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD! I cannot make you bigger but I can choose to see you as big as you really are! I choose through my thoughts, words and actions to make you as great as you really are!

May others see the incomparable, superior, almighty Jesus in my life.

I host your presence.

Amen.

 

The power of blessing

Luke 1: 42-45 “In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!”

Elizabeth blesses Mary. As soon as Mary greets her with ‘Shalom!’ out of her

mouth comes blessing. This is not a feeling but a state of being favoured by

God. She didn’t say ‘Like me, you are blessed among women!’ She lavishes

honour and blessing on Mary.

Thought: I live in a culture where even with our close friends we playfully

plague and belittle each other. We seem incapable of honour unless it is on a big stage. We must bless more in private.

 

Elizabeth blesses Mary’s miracle. Filled with the Spirit she prophecies about

‘my Lord’. Mary receives her first confirmation of what Gabriel had said to her.

Thought: To bless is to protect the miracle in another person’s life. How many

have lost their dreams through someone’s words!

 

 

Elizabeth blesses Mary’s faith. Mary had been greatly troubled perhaps she is

now only slightly anxious! Was this a dream? Had she made the whole thing up?

What will Joseph say? Many questions swarm her mind but Elizabeth stills it.

Thought: Not everyone is as sure as they make out. Their faith may be very

small and yet their miracle can be huge. We must bless one another’s attempt at believing God will deliver on time all He has said.

The impact on others with Jesus in your life.

Luke 1: 41   “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

 

1. The presence of Jesus in Mary caused the miracle in Elizabeth to leap with joy announcing that this amazing story for Elizabeth and Zechariah was still very much alive.

Lesson: The presence of Jesus in you will powerfully disturb miracles that are laying inside others.

2. The presence of Jesus in Mary caused the miracle in Elizabeth to “be filled with the Holy Spiriteven before he is born” (1:15). When the Holy Spirit fills you then all that you are carrying is also filled.

Lesson: The presence of Jesus in you will bring an encounter of the Holy Spirit for others.

3. The presence of Jesus was heard. We don’t know how Mary spoke, but however she chose to bring the greeting it caused an amazing effect and prophetic release upon Elizabeth.

Lesson: The presence of Jesus in you is experienced by the words you use which will then release the prophetic in others.

What do you do in the waiting period?

Luke 1: 39-40

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.”

1. Strengthen your faith.

Tell someone that will help your faith.

Mary had been told Elizabeth had also received a miracle promise and she only had 3 months left of her own pregnancy. Do you have someone who is ahead of you in the faith path? Be with them.

(In order to be strengthened you may need to address the weakness. Yesterday I prayed for a leader who would be returning to someone who had deeply hurt him in his past in order to clear it out of his heart. It will not be an easy journey for him. But he needs to do it in order to strengthen his faith).

2. Choose wisely who you wait with.

When hosting His presence in your life don’t sit with the mockers. Don’t fellowship with the bitter and the cynical they will abort your dream. Wisdom is knowing who to leave behind.

Mary chooses Elizabeth before Joseph. She leaves her future husband to God. She takes a holiday from her fiancé.

3. Don’t dawdle.

Time is of the essence. The translators use the words hurried and in haste she travelled to Elizabeth. She is eager and enthusiastic and in her excitement I can visualise her running the 100 mile journey to Judea! Less haste more speed is common sense but not here. When you are waiting for your miracle and when you are hosting you cannot afford the luxury of taking it easy. You have to be focused continually. You have to become fanatical and everything else falls into insignificance. Other responsibilities take a back-seat to what you know you have to do.

When all goes quiet …

Luke 1: 38 ““I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.”

Heaven leaves. The angels work is done. Mary is left alone.

The conference is over. The event has finished. The intercessors, worshippers and followers dispersed. And it is you left on centre stage with the hope of a miracle.

What will you do now?

It takes courage to remain when everyone has left.

It is a little easier to believe when Gabriel is in front of you.

Surrounded by the divine we can all submit to the plans of God.

When all you have is you then it is not so easy.

If this had happened in other times or places Mary was definitely holding her own death warrant. Maybe she feared of the possibility of a stoning returning. She knew at least she would be slandered, scorned and maligned. But she definitely held the divorce papers. Gabriel had said nothing about Joseph. She had tried to raise the issue when saying she was a virgin but she surrendered without knowing how Gabriel thought Joseph would be with this. “Why didn’t I ask?” “I should have got that sorted!”

Gabriel leaves. But actually we read it wrong. It is an assumption that Mary is alone. Just because we cannot see any more characters doesn’t mean there isn’t the important one there with Mary.

Gabriel had spoken of the Holy Spirit coming upon Mary and the power of the Most High overshadowing her. I like to believe this happened at the time of Mary’s AMEN.

For those who are friends of Jesus, we will never wake to a new day alone! When everyone has left, when the music fades, when all is gone, we have all we need, we have HIM.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life.

That’s all we need when the angel leaves.

Are you willing to change?

Luke 1: 38 ““I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.”

1. Mary was willing to change for the plan God had for her. She paid the price.

To step into all He has purposed for your life will mean that at various stages you have to change. You will need to leave the person you was behind. You will have to change what you believed perhaps. You will need to ask, ‘do I want to become this new person that I am going to have to become?’ Others will have to embrace that change also as they relate to what God is doing in your life.

2. Mary was willing to lose to become obedient to the plan God had for her.

• Lose your reputation. If reputation is more important than His plan then all you will have to talk about is the past.
• Lose the battle. How is she ever going to explain virgin and pregnant? There are times when you need to silence your mouth and lose the argument. It will be another 30 years when people will realise that this child is the Son of God and for some they will never believe it anyway.
• Lose the desire for vindication. God’s plan may seem unfair full stop.

 

3. Mary was willing to let go of comforts.

She would embark on a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt. She would end up being a refugee. The purpose of God definitely will hold problems for you. You will be pushed out of your comfort. It is time to count the cost before you go any further. Those comforts are friends. As you step into a new thing you will lose friends, they won’t know how to relate to you anymore, are you ready for that?

What would you never do? In 1995 I drove 2 friends to the airport as they went to Zambia and they still quote me as saying, “I would never go to Africa, no way, it just isn’t for me!” God had to push me out of my comfort zone.

Be willing to change today, say YES. Be ready for the alteration of your plans for His.

The 3 prayers of alignment

Luke 1:38 “‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.”

Then Mary said, “^]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her. (Amplified)

I believe God is waiting to hear a certain prayer.

• The prayer of adjustment.

Have you prayed this prayer? “I will adjust to what you want for my life God.”

Mary did.

John 8:37 “I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.”

Jesus spoke to people of great ancestry, they were the offspring of Abraham, people of religion, worshippers of God and yet they were about to make the biggest mistake of their lives because they had not said the prayer of adjustment – let it be to me – let it happen as you have said. There was no space, no room for adjustment and God’s Word couldn’t enter.

 

• The prayer of conception.

Conception is the involvement of 2 people. Mary prays let it be done to me/let it be with me.  Are you able/are you willing to conceive that God will use you today, tomorrow and the years to come?

Are you preconceived? (your mind is already made up).

Can you offer a prayer which is stripped of all doubt and negativity? A prayer which says:

“I am yours. My mind understands. My heart receives. My body is ready, use me.”

 

• A prayer of faith.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (ESV)

There needs to come a strong AMEN/LET IT BE TO ME to your prayer of adjustment and conception. Amen. So be it. Let it be. It is so. It is done. But more than this. When we say AMEN we are saying, “YES I agree with that. I believe that to be true. I want that to be so.” Mary says to the angel AMEN.

One of the names of God is The God Of Truth. Isaiah 65:16 “he who blesses himself … shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath … shall swear by the God of truth”

When Paul speaks of Christ he says, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

One of the names of Jesus is AMEN, “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” Revelation 3:14

The last word in the Bible is AMEN. This is true. Let it be. God is wanting to use people with such a prayer.

 

These 3 prayers will align you to what God is going to do in and through your life.

Behold!

Luke 1:38 “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” NKJV

“And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” ESV

 

Invite the divine to look at your earthly, human situation today. Invite God to look at you right now. Behold!

Whether it be John the Baptist announcing Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world or Jesus on the cross calling to his mother to take his friend to John to be her son or Jesus in Revelation announcing His imminent return, the word Behold is asking for the person to take another careful look as something has taken place.

Mary is saying, “Okay, I understand, take a look at me again, behold me, I know it won’t be easy, but look at me.”

Mary didn’t say the timing isn’t right, she didn’t reject the plan. Mary called out, ‘Behold … pick me, pick me, I am ready and willing.’

Maybe you have been a reluctant follower.

Maybe you have questioned the calling.

Maybe you have even walked away and doubted.

But something has happened and now you see, you get it and more than that you want to be that person, you want that assignment.

Behold!

Behold me, ordinary me!

And God is gracious and God is kind and He is still there, the angel hasn’t left. And the angel beholds Mary and God beholds you. He is watching you and He is waiting with expectancy for what comes next. You have His attention.

Behold also means an exciting attention regarding something that is about to happen. A familiar verse comes to mind regarding the news from God that He would bring about an end to the 70 year captivity of His people:

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

I believe Mary understood! She got it! This is incredible news, God has chosen me!

I also believe we must respond this way too.

He has called you to move from the ordinary into the extraordinary. To be all that you can be. To fulfil His plan for your life. To announce the NEW no matter how difficult the path may be. He is with you. He will guide you through. Do you believe He has chosen you? Do you believe you are highly favoured? Do you believe something has been announced in the heavenly realm and will soon be seen in your world? Behold!

 

WITH HIM

Luke 1: 37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”

This is why the presence of God is everything.

No limits. WITH Him.

No shadows. WITH Him.

No mountains. WITH Him.

No walls. WITH Him.

Nothing is impossible (for us) WITH Him.

The angel doesn’t say nothing is impossible for God. We would expect that wouldn’t we? Surely you are not God unless it is so?

But nothing is impossible WITH God.

With His presence.

We all agree faith is needed.

We all agree asking is needed.

Successful ministries have developed on these 2 actions.

Recently though I am realising that hosting His presence in our lives is of the most importance.

I can have faith and ask Him for a miracle without hosting His presence in my life.

This morning I wrote 15 Foundational Truths for hosting His presence:

1. Clear away the hurts of the past.
2. Break down the routine and duty of the present.
3. Permission the joyous new life of the future to grow.
4. Focus on Christ, meditate on His life imagining the scenes of the gospels.
5. Invite Him to come and change everything in me even if I don’t recognise at first it is Him.
6. Stop talking and listen.
7. Fast that what controls me resulting in being free.
8. Demonstrate overwhelming love for others.
9. Surrender all I want and hope to be and have.
10. Foster the habit of bible reading and memorisation.
11. Obey in giving not just the tithe (how can I give less?) but the eradication from my life of the disturbing, distracting and destroying need to possess.
12. Turn down the volume of my life, to be still, to diarise to do nothing.
13. CROSS out my pride and rights.
14. Bow more, raise hands more, prostrate more, plead less, worship more.
15. Dwell and develop friendship with Him.

What has all this go to do with Mary receiving a miracle child? Everything.

What has all this got to do with you and your need of a miracle? Everything.

WITH HIM.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

WITH HIM.

Let’s narrow the distance.

Let’s host.

 

 

 

 

Even Elizabeth … surrounding yourself with inspiration

Luke 1: 36 “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.”

Having been told to expect a miracle, Mary is given news of another miracle.

What are you believing for today?

Make sure you are surrounding yourself with great faith-filled stories of God doing the impossible. Make sure you are looking at the right signs. There are signs that lead to unbelief like Peter looking at the wind and waves and begins to sink and there are signs that encourage your miracle within you.

Abraham was told to count the stars that God had created. He looked at the created world and the vastness of God’s power and he understood and believed his call. (Genesis 15:5)

Moses saw a natural phenomenon, the burning bush that didn’t burn to the ground and it would lead him to encounter our God who is a consuming fire. (Exodus 3:1-4)

Joshua remembered how God used Moses for the parting of the Red Sea as he gave instructions to move towards the Jordan River for a similar miracle. (Joshua 3:7)

David remembered his own past God-given victories over the lion and the bear and it fuelled his belief he could take down Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:37)

Paul encouraged Archippus (probably a church leader) to not give up no matter what he was going through by remembering his own chains and difficulty too. (Colossians 4:17)

“Mary, this might seem impossible for you but let me tell you another impossible story that is 6 months ahead of yours!”

Today, what is the miracle?

There isn’t a lot you can do but what you can do is to surround yourself with stories of what God has already done.

Look at the power of His creative ability, natural phenomena, miracles of old and your own God-provision stories. The God who did this can do it again and again and again!

Even Elizabeth …