“And Mary said,
“My soul exalts the Lord,
and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,”
Into the Text
Mary had just been told by the angel that she was going to conceive a baby. She was young and unmarried, a virgin. It would have been a great scandal for her to become pregnant outside of marriage. Mary undoubtedly knew what this would mean for her. She would face public shame, becoming the talk of the town. And what would her fiancé Joseph do? Surprisingly, though, Mary did not moan but rejoiced in God! Why? What was there to sing about?
Mary’s heart was full of joyful praise because she looked to God, the One she knew would be with her and help her. Being full of faith, she was able to see beyond her immediate, challenging circumstances and meditate, instead, on the great deeds of God, past, present, and future. Her spirit was not filled with worries, fears, and the trifles of life. Her spirit soared above as she fixed her eyes on God, her Savior, and what He had done for her.
Mary simply took God at His word. She was confident that God would bring about everything He had said through the angel: “Mary, the Lord is with you. You are highly favored. Don’t be afraid. This child you are going to have will be called the Son of the Most High, and He will be a great king. Nothing is impossible with God.”
It is a very liberating thing to have our minds filled with God and His awesome character and wonderful deeds. Our troubles become less significant when we remember that God will be with us through this short life and that we have a Savior who is bringing us to eternal glory. We need to take Him at His Word. The whole Bible is full of God’s precious promises to us. He wants us to believe them. If we could only lift our eyes above life’s present difficulties and look in faith to Jesus, the Savior, our hearts would soon join in with Mary’s hope-filled song of praise.
Prayer
Lord, let my mind be increasingly filled with you, your character, and your deeds. Amen.