God My Savior
Key Bible Passage:
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)
Reflect:
Music time! Are you one of those people who begins playing Christmas carols by Thanksgiving? Do you go to see a performance of The Nutcracker in December? Music has a way of transforming our hearts and lifting our moods. Music is also a way to gauge our spiritual temperature, by asking what kind of song is playing in our heart at any given moment. A love song? A country tune? A passionate opera? A song blessing God like Zechariah’s?
In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears to a virgin, Mary, since virginity was an important part of the engagement arrangement. This detail confirms God’s promise in Isaiah 7:14. The angel says she will bear the son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary responds with one of the most famous songs/prayers in the Bible known as “The Magnificat” based on her words, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Take a minute to listen to a famous and “magnificent” rendition of The Magnificat by Handel or Bach, and sense Mary’s joy.
Like Mary, I need to regularly magnify God (and minimize me). I’m tempted by the reverse.
How can we magnify God? How do we get more of him? Well, how do proverbial drunken sailors get that way? By consuming large quantities! Mary’s “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46-55) indicates she was regularly consuming large quantities of God–magnifying him, praying to him.
Am I in the habit of magnifying God? Minimizing me? Praying? Trusting God unconditionally? How would my days look different if I were to prioritize time in God’s Word and time in prayer? Are God’s character qualities on the tip of my tongue? Is faithfulness my number one priority?
Respond:
- Pray The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) aloud to God, focusing on his character qualities.
