Mary’s Magnificent God

Devotional

“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. And 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 thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

— Luke 1:46–55

Mary sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin.

And where is God? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women — one old and barren (Elizabeth), one young and a virgin (Mary). And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song — a song that has come to be known as “The Magnificat.”

Mary and Elizabeth are wonderful heroines in Luke’s account. He loves the faith of these women. The thing that impresses him most, it appears, and the thing he wants to impress on Theophilus, his noble reader of his Gospel, is the lowliness and cheerful humility of Elizabeth and Mary as they submit to their magnificent God.

Elizabeth says (Luke 1:43), “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” And Mary says (Luke 1:48), “He has looked on the humble estate of his servant.”

The only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary — people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I woke up today extremely thankful for the gift of music—especially the songs of Advent and Christmas. Every hymn, carol, and chorus of this season fuels our hope, ignites our longings, and expresses our joy. Thank you for giving us multiple reasons to sing, Lord.

Mary, your mother, certainly had a different experience of you than us. And yet we can easily join in her Advent refrain today. We too are compelled to sing her song, for you’ve been mindful of our humble, broken, sinful state.

We have nothing to boast in but you, Jesus. You came to us when we weren’t seeking you, and you are being formed in us as surely as you entered the world through Mary’s womb. One Day we will be with you forever, and we will be fully like you. Hallelujah!

Like Mary, you have done great things for us, and you continue to do so. Because of your life, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven, declared righteous, desired, enjoyed, and as loved today as we’ll be loved throughout eternity.

Therefore, our hearts glory in you, and our spirits rejoice in you—our God and our Savior. As the gospel goes deeper into our hearts, free us from all fears, except the fear of the Lord.

Indeed, fill us to overflowing with awe and adoration in this season of Advent, Jesus. We don’t want a “merry little Christmas,” we want one as big as the gospel is beautiful. Restore our joy, renew our first love, capture our gaze, supersize our hope, intensify our peace. Free us to live and love well until you return. So very Amen we sing and pray, in your most glorious and grace-full name.