GOD’S REIGN: His Supremacy

 

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.   (Luke 1:46-49) 

Hope is found in the sovereignty of God.  The root of the word, “sovereign” is “reign” and this is assurance God is in control.  Throughout Mary’s Magnificat—her hymn of praise—we find the recurring theme.  See the repeated refrain, “He has...” used eight times in this song of ten verses. 

She sings of God’s reign and HIS SUPREMACY.  In verse 46 Mary calls Him “the Lord.”  What He does is the product of Who He is! 

God is:

• Supreme in His Perception “He has regarded” (v.48a).  Our God is omniscient—a word meaning “all-knowing.” God surveyed the entire human race—and saw a humble, holy young girl that He would in sovereign grace choose to be mother to Messiah.  Nothing escapes His gaze.  Centuries before, the Lord chose Mary’s ancestor, David, a shepherd boy to become a king!  When Samuel thought to anoint the most imposing physical specimen among Jesse’s sons for the task, God reminded him that He did not judge by outward appearance, but looked on the heart, and thus, picked the runt of the litter.  Only God knows what is in us, and what we may become by His grace—and He always knows for He knows the end from the beginning.

• Supreme in His Power “He who is mighty” (v.49a).  He is omnipotent—that is “all-powerful.”  Nothing is too hard for Him, even implanting His Son in the womb of a virgin.  In the miracle of the incarnation which Gabriel announced to Mary, God would be moving to meet our greatest need in providing salvation from sin.  If God met our greatest need, will He not care for every lesser one?  Remember the angelic assurance to the young virgin, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

• Supreme in His Perfection “holy is His name” (v.49b).  God is flawless.  His name signifies His nature.   That name was revealed as, “I AM” and He is Who He is and will always be!  For Him to be holy means He is set apart from all others, above all else, the Only God.  No wonder even the majestic messengers in heaven encircle His glorious throne, covering their faces in His awesome presence and crying, “Holy, holy, holy!” (Isa.6:2-3), the song of six-winged seraphim.

• Supreme in His Presence “from generation to generation” (v.50b)  He is omnipresent—unlimited by time and space; He stands above and beyond it—the Eternal King.  The generations of man pass one after the other.  We grow up today as the grass of the field, only to be soon cut down.  Yet, God reigns forever and ever!

The good news is that God’s supremacy extends to His love—a love that is measureless, and abounding toward sinners!  He knows what you’ve done—and loves you nonetheless.  In our impotence we cannot earn His favor, and so Omnipotence gives it in His Son.  All our righteousness is as filthy rags, unfit to bring us access to the Land of Utter Purity, but He clothes us in the perfections of Christ by grace through faith.  Finite beings are granted eternal life when they call upon the Infinite One!