Luke 1:46-55
“And Mary said,
’My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.’”
Mary’s Song, or the Magnificat, is one of praise and faith in what the Lord has promised.
As someone who was raised in the church, I’ve read at least some part of Luke nearly every Christmas season that I can remember. And, as a woman, I’ve always wondered what Mary was thinking and feeling after being told that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High.
She was young. She lived a pretty ordinary life. She was not yet married to Joseph. And then, one day, an angel of the Lord appears to her, not only to tell her that she will conceive a son, but that “the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35 NIV). I can hardly begin to imagine the wave of emotions that took hold in that moment.
And yet, Mary was faithful. Mary later visits her cousin, Elizabeth, who is with her when she exclaims this song of praise.
Through this song it becomes evident that Mary is aware of the Lord’s promises and believes that God’s promises will be fulfilled. She sings of God bringing rulers down from their thrones and lifting up the humble. She sings of God’s mercy extending from generation to generation. In a time when she could have been consumed by uncertainty and discomfort about her current situation, she instead looks to God’s promises and the role that she has been given in the fulfillment of God’s promises. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name.”
Our all-powerful God sent God’s son, Jesus, to this earth through a humble, ordinary young woman who trusted in God’s promises. Jesus would go on to befriend the ostracized, heal the sick, and challenge certain people who seemed to have it all. A relationship with our creator is not limited to a specific type of person. Jesus offers salvation to whoever believes in him. And history has shown that he has the power to speak and work through whoever believes in him.
God has the power to carry out God’s will on God’s own, but God invites us to be a part of it. Sometimes I wonder if I limit my part (or limit what I could be learning from someone else) by getting in my own way. Have you hesitated to say yes to things God has called you to do out of fear that you don’t have the right qualifications? That you’re too young, too old, not knowledgeable about the Bible enough, or not in the ideal “season of life” for something? Or, on the flip side, do you find yourself questioning others’ qualifications or abilities?
I encourage you to use this time to talk to God about how he’s working through you and the people around you.