Mary's Song: My Soul Glorifies the LordSample

Day One

God Was the Subject of Mary’s Song

Mary’s song is known as the Magnificat. It is similar to the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1–10). However, while Hannah proclaims a triumph over her enemies, Mary proclaims God’s glorious mercy to humanity. Mary also proclaims the salvation of God, salvation wrought through the promised Messiah, her Savior. She predicts that the Savior will be welcomed by those who reverenced Him; but He will be rejected by the proud, the powerful, and the rich. Over the next several days, we will consider ways this song conveys God’s glorious mercy and deliverance.

God is the subject of Mary’s song. Mary is not praising herself or thinking about things she might accomplish. Instead, she says, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” The Lord is the subject of her praise and rejoicing.

Consider this: Mary has just traveled around ninety miles from Nazareth. She is bound to be tired and exhausted, without even having time to sit down. As soon as Mary walks in the door, Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, begins proclaiming praise. Mary’s song follows right on the heels of Elizabeth’s statement. She forgets her tiredness because her faith is being confirmed. She now knows that the angel who had come to her was not a figment of her imagination, an illusion, or a dreamy state of mind. He was real; and his message that she, a virgin, would bear the Son of God was true.

God assures and confirms our faith, too. We believe and trust, and as the need arises, God steps in to confirm the reality of what we believe. Experiencing the living God can overcome tiredness and exhaustion. Rather than saying we are too tired to read our Bibles and pray, what if we went to God with our tired bodies?

Mary is greatly blessed by God, yet she does not slip into the sin of pride, nor does she think that she is God’s favorite. The more God blesses us, the more we are prone to take the credit for our blessing. Instead of allowing pride to take root, we must learn to praise Him for the blessings we receive.

The word “magnify” means to declare the greatness of. The idea is habitual; that is, it was the habit of Mary’s soul to magnify the Lord. She kept on magnifying Him.

For Reflection:

Mary understood that her life purpose was to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. She leaned into that even when her situation was not comfortable. Even when she was tired, scared, and weary, Mary followed her life purpose.

• What are some ways we can live out our life purpose and bless God at all times?
• What would it mean to say with the psalmist, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever,” in your current situation?