December 20: The Song
What’s your favorite Christmas song? We tend to gravitate toward a certain vibe… You’re either an “O Holy Night” gal or you’re bumping “Feliz Navidad” all December long. (If you’re currently listening to Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe, it’s OK. We won’t judge.)
But did you know that the Christmas story actually has songs included? It’s true! If you flip to the first few chapters of Luke, you’ll actually see two of them (Mary’s song and Zechariah’s song). Let’s spend some time today diving into Mary’s song!
“And Mary said:
‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.’”
Luke 1:46–55
Have you ever been so struck by God’s hand in your life, so grateful or so moved by Him, that you burst into song? This is what’s happening to Mary here. It’s as though she’s so overwhelmed by her good Father that she can’t help but praise Him. We could spend so much time analyzing this work of art back to front, but let’s choose three lines to study today.
Here’s the first:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..”
Authentic praise. If we consider our lives and our circumstances, this type of worship is kind of rare. Often, we find ourselves approaching God in supplication, singing to Him out of need and desperation. But Mary, who was arguably in a hard moment in life, came to God in praise. From the depth of her soul, she couldn’t help but glorify the Lord.
We don’t know about you, but we want that to be our first response. We’ve heard it said this way before, “Praise your way into the presence of God.” Can we apply that to our own lives? We want to come before the King bubbling up with gratitude and thanksgiving because, if we stop to really think about it, there is so much to praise Him for.
The next line of Mary’s song that stands out to us lies in verse 50.
“His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
Here, Mary is actually quoting Scripture! Cool, right? This verse is reminiscent of Exodus 20:6 (...but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments) and Psalm 103:17 (but from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children).
How cool would it be to know God’s Word so well that it begins to come out of us unbidden?! We want to be like Mary, speaking Scripture straight from the heart, so connected to God's Word that it becomes woven into our very thoughts. (Getting motivated to start memorizing some Bible verses? Us, too!)
Alright, one last observation.
“He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Are you aware that you are living in a fulfilled promise? All the way back in the Old Testament, God promised to be with Abraham and his descendants. Now, because of Jesus, we have been adopted into that family. We are co-heirs with Christ, beneficiaries of a holy inheritance.
But do we really live as though God has come through for us? Do we really know Him as a promise keeper, like Mary did? Let that be your challenge today. No matter what prayers go unanswered, ask God to reveal Himself to you as a promise keeper. Maybe, that certainty of His character and His victory will lead your heart to praise, just as it did for Jesus’s mother all those years ago.
Pray: God, you deserve all of my praise today.
Further Study: Check out Zechariah’s song in Luke 1:67! What differences and similarities to Mary’s song do you notice?
Interact: You know the drill! Which of the three observations we made from Mary’s song would you like to grow in? (authentic praise, speaking Scripture, or knowing God as a promise keeper)
