And Mary said:
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him. He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors.
Luke 1: 46-55 (CSB)
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Mary knows her scriptures and praises God in the manner of Hannah and the Psalmists. She knows her nation's history and sees that God has given her an important place in Israel's history despite or even because of her humble position in life. She rejoices over the powerful but merciful God of her people. Her joy overflows as she considers what God is doing through her.
Where is our joy coming from this holiday season? Gift giving and receiving, traveling and celebrating are all fun activities. But our deepest joy should come when we think about what God has done for us, providing a way for us to have a relationship with him. God humbled himself more than any person ever could by joining us in our humanity, even to taking on the life of an unborn baby so that he could save us from our sin through his sacrificial death. The most high was also the most humble so that the lowly could be raised to heights they could never achieve without him. Let our souls magnify the Lord and our spirits rejoice in God our Savior as we consider during this season the great things God has done for us!
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Holy God, I magnify you; you are a merciful savior who humbled himself so that you could have a relationship with me. I thank you and rejoice in you for you were willing to be born as a human and endure a humiliating and painful death to set me free from sin. Please help me to grow in my relationship with you as I seek to know and do your will. All glory to God forever! Amen.
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Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Illustration from Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing
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