Scripture

Luke 1:51-53

“He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”

Muse

Mary’s song is a beautiful ode of praise to a God who fulfills his promises. Her song in Luke 1:46-55 paints a magnificent and pure picture of the faithfulness of the Lord God Almighty. Mary’s words echo Hannah’s Song in 1 Samuel 2 when Hannah gives thanks to God for the birth of her son, Samuel. Mary's song isn’t a perfect recitation of the Old Testament scripture, but this correlation leads us to believe that Mary’s soul was steeped in scripture. It was written on her heart and guided her thoughts and words as she praised the Living God! Mary knows the stories of God and who He is so well that her song highlights God’s justice and His overwhelming love and blessings for His people.

I love Mary’s use of the word “has” in this song. “Has” is a present perfect auxiliary verb, which means it is used to describe a past action that is continuing into the present. As we read today, let the word “has” be an encouragement to you. Like Mary, we can praise God for all the promises he has already fulfilled, and all the good things we know he is orchestrating right now.

Yesterday we learned how God “shows strength with his arm” by scattering, toppling, and expelling the proud. Today let’s focus on the blessings God uses His strength to give His people according to this portion of Mary’s Magnificat. Verse 52 states that He, “exalted those of humble estate.” This scripture is not referencing the estate where our bodies live here on earth, but the estate where our heart finds residence. Is our heart comfortable and satisfied in this world? Or does our heart long to be in heaven with our Lord? Exalted here means to be lifted up. Later in the book of Luke, we hear a recount of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus describes where the humble are lifted to. Jesus, who was still in Mary’s womb when she prayed this Song of Praise, later preached something very similar to his mother’s song:“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (6:20). As Christians, we know our true home is in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father through faith in our salvation by Jesus Christ. We are to surrender the temptation to be satisfied with the temporary comforts of what this world can give us, and humbly and fully depend on God. Only then can we be exalted, or lifted, to our heavenly home with our Maker.

In the time and place where Mary sang her song, people lived in an agrarian society. They relied almost completely on the success of their crops and livestock to sustain them. In seasons of drought, they knew a painful, desperate hunger for food to keep their bodies alive. The analogy Mary uses in verse 53,“He has filled the hungry with all good things,” would have been a very tangible comparison for the readers of that day. Oh what relief it would be for a hungry stomach to be filled by rich fare! We can empathize with the citizens of Mary’s day by desperately pleading for God to satisfy the hunger in our soul rather than our stomach. And how beautiful that God fills us with “good things”! He doesn’t just fill our souls with fleeting feelings, bland purposes, and tasteless relationships. He fills us with all the richness of who He is—everything that is good! In the Sermon on the Mount account in Luke 6:21, we hear, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” We can infer that neither Mary nor Jesus are speaking of empty bellies rumbling at the sight of a warm plate of Christmas cookies. Rather, the implication is a soul hungry for God and who He is. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:6 adds more detail as to what our soul is hungering for: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” As created beings of God, our souls crave our Maker’s perfect righteousness. We hunger and thirst for it. He promises to show us a taste of that sweet righteousness here on earth, which is only a foreshadowing of the fulfilling and satisfying perfection that is to come in Heaven.

Our World

Knowing that God is the one who exalts the humble heart and fills the hungry soul, what is our part to play in this beautiful story? I think Louie Giglio helps put things into perspective for us when he says, "Humility is not a character trait to develop, it's the natural by-product of being with Jesus." We cannot pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and muster up enough humility to become blessed by God. Spending time with Jesus in prayer and reading our bibles will naturally lead to a blessing of humility in our hearts. Furthermore, spending time with our God in prayer and reading our bibles will reveal more and more of who He is—and once you get a taste of his goodness, your soul will hunger and thirst for more. Simply put, take action by taking refuge in the person of Jesus.

• God says he will “fill the hungry with good things.” What/Who do you seek to fill you other than God?
  
• What is your rhythm of spending time with Jesus?
  
• What is the next step to take for both delighting in Jesus and living the life of blessing?
  

Prayer

LORD, I praise you today for your good gifts and for the example you gave me in living a perfect life. Holy Spirit, by your power may I, too, be a humble servant, giving light and life to our world. Would your presence and the truth of your Holy word satisfy my hungry soul this day. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.