A SOVEREIGN GOD ASSURES HOPE

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.  For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth 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 on those who fear Him From generation to generation.   He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.  He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,  As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”  And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.  (Luke 1:46-56)

Life can latch hold of you like a pit bull.  It can shake you as if you are a rag doll in its mouth.  Circumstances will chew you up and spit you out.  Reality bites! 

Do you ever feel that way? I know I do.  What we must remember, however, is that there is a greater reality than those things we see around us—and that is the God above us—that the ultimate reality is God’s sovereignty.  He has a design He is working out, and always gets the last word.  In a world that seems increasingly out of control, it is comforting to know God is in control. 

Think about the circumstances of the people of God in the first century.  They were under the iron boot of imperial Rome.  Taxes were high and wages were not.  It seemed like all hope was lost—but, God was at work.  He had chosen an old woman to give birth to the herald of the King, and a young teenage virgin to give birth to that King of kings—and the world will never be the same.  

Mary visits Elizabeth and breaks into song.  It is called the “Magnificat” from the first word of the song as rendered in the Latin translation.  We will examine these lyrics of life this week, and pray that as you read them and reflect on them God will fill you with hope!