A Song of Magnificence

Luke 1:46-55

This passage is very fitting since we just finished up the Christmas season! We just celebrated the gift of God sending his son Jesus to earth, one that was unexpected, but planned from the very beginning of time. When you receive a gift you weren’t expecting, you sometimes feel a deeper sense of gratitude for it. The gift of Jesus, our Savior, was one that Mary was not expecting (I think anyone would feel the same way). She just got engaged, feeling excited, and now a lot seems at stake. Her societal reputation is at stake, her relationship with Joseph (her fiance) is shaken, all the things that she had are turbulent. Her response displays the opposite. Is she surprised? Yes! God isn’t surprised by her very human reaction, but her response shows her deep trust in God and what He was doing. 

In verse 48 she proclaims that all generations will call her blessed. Her current circumstances would describe her as unfortunate, but God allows her to see the bigger picture. Her worship is not what she sees but what she knows is going to come. Her worship is found in God’s faithfulness as she has been taught throughout the Old Testament prophecies. By understanding God, His Character, and what He has already accomplished, she can walk into this unexpected gift with joy and hope. She knows her God deeply, and that fuels her worship. Her worship was met by unexpected circumstances, and it is now a passage of hope for all of time.

Are you inclined to worship in unexpected circumstances? 

What things have happened in the past month that have caught you off guard?
How can you worship God for who He is in spite of your circumstances?