Mary’s God

Mary’s God
 
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1.46, 47
 

All through the Bible, we find various individuals who find a special place in God’s heart.
 
David, God’s Word declares, was a man after God’s own heart. (I Samuel 13.14; Acts 13.22) A cursory examination of David’s life would reveal that David was sometimes a frightening character to hang out with. While he was subordinate to God’s chosen leader of the people, Saul, David became something of a loose cannon when he was in control of governmental affairs.
 
Noah, the one whom found grace with God (Genesis 6.8), was obedient through world-wide corruption and over nearly a millennium of years. (Genesis 9.29) However, during a lapse in his spiritual walk with God, not long after exiting the Ark, Noah became drunken from his homemade wine and indecently exposed himself. (Genesis 9.21)
 
Lot was a rather dubious character who became so entrenched within the government and lifestyle of Sodom that two heavenly messengers found him sitting with the ruling counsel at the gates of the city. (Genesis 19.1) As a matter of fact, had it not been for the testimony of the Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, we would never have guessed that he was a righteous man at all. (II Peter 2.7, 8)
 
One of the greatest men whose record is in the Old Testament was Elijah. The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18) is a dramatic biblical showdown on Mount Carmel where Elijah challenged 450 prophets of Baal to prove who was the true God. After the prophets failed to bring fire down upon their sacrifice, God answered Elijah’s prayer with fire from heaven, leading to the destruction of the false prophets and the end of a three-year drought. Following this great spiritual victory, Elijah felt so intimidated by a wicked queen that he fled in fear.
 
When the fullness of time had arrived, God chose a young virgin girl by the name of Mary to be the vehicle through which the Promised Messiah would enter the world. While we see only her obedience and submission to the will of God, in her own heart she realized that she, too, along with all others, needed a Savior. In God’s eyes, she had found favor; however, her rejoicing reached well beyond the physical aspects of carrying the baby. She magnified the Lord in her soul (her inner person) – her Master who had chosen her. And, she rejoiced in her spirit (her life force and breath) in God, her Savior – the One who would give her eternal life.

In each of these situations, none of these heroes of the faith sought their position as a hero. I’m fairly certain that none would have considered themselves to be a hero at all. Having been called into active service by God was God’s choice; so, He called them not because they exhibited special skills, but because God is more greatly glorified and exalted as He uses the “foolish” things of the world to confound the wise. (I Corinthians 1.27)
 
Thankfully, those who are followers of Christ understand that our lives may be filled with disappointing scenes, yet, we can rejoice in the fact that our eternal souls are secured by God’s Spirit (Ephesians 1.13; 4.30) and not by our personal works of righteousness. (Titus 3.5)