” And Mary said, My soul magnifies and extols the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” Luke 1:46-47
Mary, the soon to be Mother of JESUS, went to visit Elizabeth and upon arriving sings a song of praise to GOD. This is very significant and a wonderful example for all of us to follow. I love this passage and have read it many times. It is what the Mother of Christ should sing~ I can picture that. This is a very Blessed event and she has been chosen to be a part. She is highly favored!
But have you ever thought about what she must have had to think on or work through? An unmarried pregnant woman of her day was stoned to death. If by some miracle that did not happen she was a social outcast. Human nature shrinks back at rejection. Some try to avoid it at all cost. Here is Mary knowing she will be rejected~ maybe the talk of the town. What is she to do?
So, Mary makes a decision~ one that I want to be faithful to make also. Mary did not focus on what she was facing. She focused on the LORD! She declared, ” My soul (mind, will, emotions) magnify and extols the LORD.” Her focus was on the LORD! In her mind it was not her “problems” that were magnified, it was the LORD magnified. She says her spirit was rejoicing. She was not in worry or dread! We cannot focus on the LORD in a consistent manner and be filled with worry, dread or torment. Our problems may not disappear but as we magnify the LORD they will become smaller in our eyes. They won’t have the hold on us they had when we focused on them.
To magnify the LORD in the midst of everything, good or bad, in our life is to walk in greater peace, security and rest. When I find myself becoming worried, agitated or the like I want to always stop and ask myself what am I focusing on anyway? JESUS said He is the Way, Truth and Life~ and I know when I focus on Him that is where He leads me~ back to His Way, His Truth and His Life~ and it is there that I find peace, security and rest, no matter what I am facing!
So, what are you magnifying in your soul?
Coffee With the King 