Luke 1:46–47, “(46) And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, (47) And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
Mary had just greeted her cousin Elizabeth, and within Elizabeth’s womb, the unborn John-the-Baptist leapt for joy at the nearness of his Savior. Elizabeth herself immediately recognized what had happened and called Mary the “mother of my Lord.” Overwhelmed by it all, Mary gives praise unto God. Yet these words are not just sung by Mary, but can be voiced by all those who have received of the salvation of the Lord Jesus.
“My soul magnifies the Lord.” How does one “magnify” that which is already infinite? Our God is the Almighty Creator God – the great ever-existent I AM – there is no place in the expanse of the universe where God does not exist – and yet He can be magnified? Absolutely. We magnify our God & exalt our Lord in our praise. When God’s name is lifted up on the lips of His people in worship, our infinite God is yet expanded moreso. What delight – that we can join in the ever-growing chorus giving expanding glory to God!
“My spirit has rejoiced.” The magnifying praise of God is not a dreary task; it is a wondrous experience of joy. The church-goer who drags his feet to praise God must surely examine himself to see if he has truly met God, for there is no quicker way to enter into joy than to enter into praise & worship. Those who are downtrodden & depressed soon find their own spirits lifted as they lift up the praises of God.
“God my Savior.” There is a reason that the exalted praise of God leads to joy: it is because it is rooted in the fact that our God saves! The Almighty God is not a cold-hearted dispassionate God. For those in Christ, He is OUR God, and we can individually call Him “MY” God. And the God who has called us as His own has made provision for our sin – He has truly saved us in every respect. God saves us from the punishment of our past sin. God saves us from the power of present temptation. God saves us from the future of eternal death through the promise of His glorious grace. Our God saves. He is our Savior, because He has given us our Savior in Christ Jesus.
Have you yet joyfully magnified God today because of His loving salvation? Praise God for His wondrous grace!
I love this devotional! He is indeed worthy of all the praise and glory we can give, and it’s so disheartning to see people not worship with all their heart, soul, strength and mind. Thanks for the reminder, Pastor Tim.
Praise the Lord!