How often do you thank God for the words you write? The ideas you’ve had? The things you’ve published?
There is no better time to do so than the Christmas season, and the end of a year and beginning of a new year. And there may be no better way to do so than adapting the Magnificat as your prayer.
The what?
The Magnificat is a name given to the song of Mary after her cousin Elizabeth greeted her as “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43, KJV). The name comes from the first word in the Latin translation of the hymn, which is rendered in English as “magnifies.” It is one of the oldest Christian hymns in existence, and is still used in the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches.
The original text is found in Luke 1:46-55, but the following is one way a writer may choose to adapt Mary’s canticle for a strikingly appropriate “Writer’s Magnificat”:
“My writing magnifies the Lord,
and my words rejoice in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations ought to call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who revere him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts
and inspired the humble with poetry, prose, and fiction.
He has brought down the powerful from their bestseller lists,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the prayerful with ideas,
and made a way for His message to be heard.
He has helped his servant [your name]
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
that His word ‘always produces fruit’ (Isaiah 55:11, NLT) and will prosper everywhere He sends it.”
(adapted from Luke 1:46-55)
It is a fitting prayer for any time, but particularly for the Christmas season, don’t you think?
