When we think about St. Mary, we often think about her humility, her faith, or her willingness to say yes to God. But there is another beautiful part of Mary’s life that we can learn from: the way she prayed.
Mary’s life was marked by a deep awareness of God. She knew His Word, treasured His works, brought the needs of others before Him, and responded to God with obedience. Her prayer life was not separate from the rest of her life. Prayer shaped the way she saw God, responded to His will, and loved the people around her.
Mary shows us that prayer is not simply something we do. Prayer is a way of living in relationship with God. When we look at the prayers and moments of prayer recorded in Scripture, we see a woman whose heart was deeply formed by God’s Word and whose life was continually turned toward Him. So what can Mary teach us about how to pray?
1. Know Scripture and Let God’s Word Shape Your Prayers
One of the first things we notice about Mary’s prayer is how deeply it is rooted in Scripture. When Mary visits Elizabeth after receiving the announcement that she will bear the Son of God, she responds with what we now call the Magnificat.
Her prayer begins, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” Luke 1:46–47.
As we read through Mary’s prayer, we discover that her words echo the language and themes of the Old Testament. Her prayer reflects the Psalms, God’s promises to Abraham, and especially Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2. Mary knew the Scriptures so well that when she opened her mouth in worship, the language of Scripture naturally flowed from her heart.
This gives us a beautiful picture of what it means to allow God’s Word to shape our prayer lives. We often wonder what we should say when we pray or worry that we do not know the right words. Mary reminds us that we already have words God has given us. Scripture gives us language for praise, thanksgiving, confession, sorrow, hope, trust, and petition.
When we do not know what to pray, we can pray Scripture. When we are anxious, we can turn the promises of Philippians 4:6-7 into our own prayer. When we need direction, we can pray the words of Psalm 25:4–5. When we are struggling to trust God, we can pray Proverbs 3:5-6. When we feel overwhelmed, we can sit with Psalm 46:10.
The more Scripture we know, the more Scripture begins to shape the way we see God and the way we speak to Him. Mary’s prayer was saturated with the Word of God because the Word of God had already taken root in her heart. We can cultivate that same kind of prayer life by spending time in Scripture, memorizing verses, praying through passages, and allowing God’s Word to become the language of our conversations with Him.
2. Ponder the Things of God
Mary also teaches us the beauty of contemplative prayer. Throughout the opening chapters of Luke, we see Mary responding to the extraordinary things happening around her by keeping them in her heart and pondering them.
After the shepherds visit Jesus, Luke tells us, “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Later, after Jesus is found in the temple, Luke again tells us that Mary “kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51).
The Greek word Luke uses for “pondered” is symballō. The word carries the idea of bringing things together, considering them, and reflecting deeply upon them. Mary did not simply experience something God was doing and immediately move on. She held those moments before God. She reflected on them. She allowed them to take root in her heart.
There is something deeply needed about this kind of prayer in our busy and distracted world. We are constantly encouraged to move quickly from one thing to the next. We consume information, respond to messages, complete tasks, and move on. Even in our spiritual lives, we can sometimes rush through prayer without taking time to simply sit with what God is showing us.
Mary gives us another way.
Contemplative prayer can be as simple as slowing down with a passage of Scripture and allowing ourselves to sit with it before God.
Instead of immediately asking, “What do I need from God today?” we can ask, “What is God showing me about Himself?” We can reflect on something we read in Scripture, something God has done in our lives, or something we are walking through and simply bring it into His presence.
We do not have to understand everything before we can ponder it. Mary certainly did not understand everything that was happening in her life. She was given promises that would take years to unfold. Yet she treasured those moments and continued to reflect on them.
Sometimes prayer is not about saying more. Sometimes prayer is about becoming still enough to notice what God is doing. Like Mary, we can learn to treasure His works in our hearts instead of rushing past them.
3. Bring the Needs of Others to Jesus
Another beautiful example of Mary’s prayer life appears at the wedding at Cana. The celebration has run out of wine, and Mary notices the problem. She brings the need directly to Jesus and simply says, “They have no wine” (John 2:3).
Mary does not tell Jesus what He must do. She does not demand a particular solution or attempt to control the outcome. She simply sees a need and brings it to Christ.
This is the heart of intercessory prayer.
Mary teaches us that prayer is not only about bringing our own needs to God. It is also about becoming attentive to the needs of the people around us and carrying those needs into the presence of Jesus. She noticed something that others needed and cared enough to bring it to Him.
We have opportunities to do this every day. We know people who are struggling, grieving, waiting, confused, discouraged, or in need of wisdom. We may not know how to fix their circumstances, and often we cannot. But we can pray. We can bring their needs to Jesus.
There is also something beautiful about the simplicity of Mary’s prayer. “They have no wine.” She does not have to give Jesus a detailed explanation. He already knows. She simply brings the need before Him and trusts Him with the response.
This is an important part of learning to pray like Mary. Intercession means caring about the needs of others enough to bring them before Christ while trusting Him with the outcome. We do not have to control what happens after we pray. We can faithfully place people in God’s hands and trust His wisdom, His timing, and His goodness.
Mary shows us that prayer can become one of the ways we love other people. When we cannot do anything else, we can always bring someone to Jesus.
4. Let Prayer Lead You Into Obedience
Mary’s example at Cana also teaches us that prayer should ultimately lead us toward obedience. After bringing the situation to Jesus, Mary turns to the servants and says,
“Whatever He says to you, do it” John 2:5.
Those words summarize so much of Mary’s life. She trusted God enough to obey Him even when she did not know exactly what He was going to do.
This same posture is present from the very beginning of Mary’s story. When the angel tells her that she will become the mother of the Messiah, Mary responds,
“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” Luke 1:38.
Mary’s prayer was never merely about receiving comfort or answers from God. Her prayer cultivated a heart that was surrendered to Him. She was willing to receive His Word and then live according to it.
This challenges us because it is possible to pray for God’s direction while still wanting to remain in control. We can ask God to show us His will while secretly hoping He will confirm the plans we have already made. We can ask for faith while resisting the opportunities God gives us to trust Him.
Mary shows us a different posture. Her prayer says, “Let it be according to your word.” Her instruction at Cana says, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Her life demonstrates a willingness to listen to God and respond with obedience.
Prayer changes us when it moves beyond words and into our lives. As we spend time with God, He forms our hearts so that we become increasingly willing to trust Him, surrender to Him, and follow Him.
Final Encouragement
Mary gives us a beautiful picture of a life shaped by prayer. She knew Scripture, and Scripture shaped the way she worshiped. She pondered the works of God instead of rushing past them. She noticed the needs of others and brought those needs to Jesus. And when God spoke, she responded with trust and obedience.
We do not need to imitate Mary by trying to recreate her exact circumstances. Instead, we can learn from the posture of her heart. We can become people who fill our minds with Scripture, slow down enough to contemplate the goodness of God, faithfully intercede for the people around us, and respond to God with obedience.
Perhaps the simplest prayer we can learn from Mary is also the most challenging: “Let it be to me according to your word.”
That is the heart of a life of prayer. It is a heart that listens, trusts, surrenders, and says yes to God. And as we learn to pray like Mary, may our prayer lives become less about finding the perfect words and more about becoming people who are attentive to God, rooted in His Word, open to His presence, and willing to follow wherever He leads.
