Mary’s prayer comes at a time when she found out that she was pregnant with Jesus – Son of the Most High – as revealed by the angel Gabriel. Her words of praise reflected joy, gratefulness to God’s mercy and of awe and rejoicing that God would chose her even in her lowliness.
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, or he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.”
The joy which filled Mary’s heart because of God’s mercy towards her and that He had chosen and blessed her to be the mother of Jesus. Through her song of praise in Luke 1:48-55, we see that she recognizes the just and holy character of God.
“For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
As God is holy, He is free from sin and is separated from and exalted above us. All His attributes are perfect, and they all cohere in a perfect harmony of holiness. Also in reflecting God’s just character, the passage shows that the Lord is partial to the rich, the powerful, or the proud. Many people have perished because they were swallowed by pride, power, and wealth. However, God is not the least impressed by pride or power and has mercy on those who fear Him, who humble themselves and turn from the ego boosting accumulation of wealth to the lowliness of self-denial for the sake of others. Yet because He is holy and just, He will feed those who are hungry for His Word and reward the humble.
How then should we respond to God’s righteousness? We must respond like Mary who praised God in her prayers. In the silence of our unspoken prayers, where the words we utter are between the Lord and ourselves, we should be reminded of God’s holiness that our hearts be filled with joyfulness and thanksgiving. Especially in this prayer from Mary, we are remind- ed of the birth of Jesus who was brought to earth to be the sacrifice for our sins. As Mary praised the Lord for His goodness and love towards her, we should also do so in our daily lives of service to Him.
How I praise Thee, precious Saviour, That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me, That I might Thy channel be.
Channels only, blessed Master, But with all Thy wondrous pow’r,
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us every day and every hour
