Few songs are worth pondering line by line, stanza by stanza, but The Magnificat is such a song. When the angel of the Lord told Mary that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah, she worshiped God with a song of praise (Luke 1:46-55).
In the first stanza she expresses personal gratitude.
In the second stanza, she enlarges her perspective.
In the third stanza, she exults in God’s grace toward the humble.
In the fourth and final stanza, Mary emphasizes God’s faithfulness:
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and his offspring forever. (Luke 1:54-55)
Perhaps you’re thinking, “What does God’s promise to Israel have to do with me?” The answer is everything, if you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior! Scripture says,
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
(Gal. 3:7-9)
If you’re a believer in Christ, God’s promises apply to you! God helps his people! God remembers his mercy! He keeps his word! “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Jesus, the Son of God]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Cor. 1:20).
Do you realize the awesome privilege that is yours in Christ? Mary did! That’s why she magnified the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior! As noted in the ESV Study Bible, Mary’s testimony shows that “God uses people who are not great in the world’s eyes to work his great purposes on the earth.”
God blesses his people
not only with eternal life in heaven,
but also a life of significance on earth.
In his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren states,
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.
Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary.
Isn’t that precisely what we see in the life of Mary? Here’s the point:
Mary’s magnificent God is our God
who has done great things for us.
“The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad” (Ps. 26:3). The humble heart responds to God’s greatness in exultant worship. Mary exhibited such worship. Do we?
Because Mary’s God is our God, her song can be our song.