My Soul Magnifies the Lord
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Luke 1.46-50)
Wow! What an outlook. Mary has been told she will be the bearer of the Christ and she takes the stance, “let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1.38). This is nearly inconceivable for a few reasons! First, look at the problem God just gave Mary. She is chaste and righteous, she was chosen (in part) due to these godly qualities, and God gives her a death sentence. How? She is with child. According to God’s own law the woman caught in adultery should be put to death (Deuteronomy 22.22). Joseph knows he is not the father, what will he do to her? Will her own husband drag her before the priest and have her stoned? By the law, he should.
Imagine being in Mary’s sandals after Gabriel departs. Ecstatic joy! -until the realities set in; “Will Joseph still take me?”, “What will my parents say?”, “Do I tell anyone about Gabriel?”, “My soul magnifies the Lord”. Ah! The perfect answer.
Life is not always wonderful. If we do not look for the blessings it can be too easy to miss them! Mary was chosen to be the vessel that would deliver the Savior of humanity to this world. She looked beyond her light, momentary affliction and thanked God for what would be a blessing for not only her, but me as well. She had the wisdom to thank God for this beautiful little problem that she would experience. According to Matthew 1, Joseph finds out Mary is with child before he is approached by the angel- and he does look to divorce her. I wonder, is Mary still thankful as Joseph is trying to wrap his mind around how to divorce her? “My soul magnifies the Lord”. God steps in, Joseph takes Mary and they comprise the family unit that my Savior grew up in.
I do not know all of the ways the LORD has blessed me. I can not fathom His love for me or how He has provided over and over again. And I do not know how seemingly life crushing things are blessings. But I know God is faithful and He loves me. May my soul ever magnify Him.