DEVOTION – DAY 437

Luke 1:49 “Sing Praises To God”

Luke 1:49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me – Holy is His name.”

Luke 1:46-55 is entitled Mary’s Song. It was a hymn of praise sung by Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It is also sometimes referred to as the Magnificat, the Latin word for “glorifies”. In this hymn of praise, Mary glorifies God for she acknowledges Him as her Savior (v47). She also praised God that she had been blessed by the Lord, the Mighty One, who has done great things for her. She was carrying in her womb a child conceived by the Holy Spirit (v49). By giving birth to this child, she will be called blessed by all generations from that time onwards (v48). Mary praised God for He is merciful (50), and He is Mighty (v51). Mary could sing these praises because she knew all these attributes of God to be true.

I also had good reason to sing these praises about God. A few years ago, I organized a family holiday to Yunnan, China. The trip would include a visit to Shangri-La. It sits on the Tibetan plateau close to the border with Tibet at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet. We had arranged a van to drive us from Lijiang to Shangri-La. In a few hours, we had travelled from an elevation of 8,000 feet to 10,000 feet through winding local roads. On arrival, I forgot that the air was thinner and that I should take it easy. Instead, I took our luggage up to our hotel room by myself. By the time we got to our room, I felt tired. I sat down on the sofa and soon experienced a case of altitude sickness. Deacon Poh Choo recognized that I needed medical care and I was rushed to a nearby local hospital. I was admitted. I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed and my heart sank. 

I prayed fervently for healing. I trusted in God’s abundant promises that He would enable me to be well enough to catch my planned flight home. I prayed that my condition would not be serious and that the doctors would allow my discharge. God graciously heard and answered my prayers. I was able to make some adjustments to my flight plans. The doctors allowed my discharge after 3 days in hospital. I had a thorough medical check-up to make sure the altitude sickness had not affected any of my organs. I also thank God for His gracious provision. I had just enough local currency on me to pay for the hospital bill. I was charged the same as a local resident. As I made our return trip home, I felt a lot better. I also had a check up with a local lung specialist and he told me my lungs were clear. I thank God for His gracious care. I could sing praises to the Lord just like Mary did in Luke 1.  

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You are Almighty, Merciful and Gracious God. There is none like You. Thank you for your grace and mercy that are new every morning. Please help us to trust in You in every circumstance we are in. We humbly pray in the great name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What circumstances have you faced that caused you to praise God? Share.
  2. How has God come to your assistance that you want to sing His praises all the time? Share.
  3. What are some of God’s attributes that you want to praise Him for?
  4. Why must we be thankful to God for all He has done for us? Discuss.