magnify Him.

Everytime I come to Luke Chapter 1 I get so teary eyed and awestruck at Mary's Song. I'm not sure if you've ever seen The Nativity but if you haven't, it will really change the way this story in Luke comes alive. What a beautiful picture portrayed here. Think about it. Mary, who was not much older than 15 years of age, was just told that she was to bare a Son. Confused and curious, she didn't understand considering she had not been with a man sexually. Yet, what did she do? Submitted under the lordship of God, and became humble under His authority. Wow. Can you imagine? Imagine you, minding your own business then all of a sudden that week you go to the doctor and wind up pregnant. With no sexual communication with a man, and all God tells you is, "This is My will for you." What would you do? I know in those days, it was custom to stone a woman who was sexually impure before marriage. Actually, when women got married, they were supposed to wait 1 year before becoming sexually intimate with their spouses. So you can already imagine the worry and fear that must have swept over Mary. Yet, she did not show one ounce of it. What did she do instead? I love love LOVE verses 46-55 of Luke 1. They read:

"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 rememberance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever."

Mary found herself blessed, and thankful that God would look upon her and think highly of her to carry His Son. She was praising Him for His goodness and sovereignty. Even in the midst of a situation that looked bad on the outside, Mary chose to praise, honor, and submit under God's authority. Isn't that something?

As women, we tend to face many struggles in our walks with the Lord. They can be endless. Gossip, friendships, relationships, singleness, health, 'self' image.... there are so many trials we face as women in the Lord. Yet just know...every trial you face is just one step gloser to growing more and more into the image of Christ. Each trial, tribulation, and hurt is Him pruning you, molding you, and shaping you for His eternal kingdom! It's so hard to praise God in the midst of horrible situations. But honestly ladies, we are commanded to do this! To think of a young girl, submitting under God's authority, praising Him in the midst of her circumstance, and trusting fully in Him... it amazes me.

Oh, how I fall short every single day with these things. If there is something minor that goes wrong in my life, it's anger, questions, bitterness, sadness. But why? The Lord knows what He's doing. He's obviously fashioned me together...so He has His purposes perfectly. If we can't stand strong in the faith during small hardships girls, we will never be able to stand strong in the Lord during huge hardships. The Lord loves you. He has designed you uniquely for His purpose...and every circumstance that comes your way is in His perfect divine plan for your life.

I just love verse 49, "He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name." If only we can look our trials in the face and proclaim, My GOD has done great things for me! Holy is HE! Man, I'm sure Satan wouldn't be able to even think about touching us.

Ladies, it all goes back to brokenness and prayer. We need to be daily in communion and fellowship with our Lord Jesus every single day. We need to be on our knees, and on our faces before Him exalting Him, praising Him, and pouring our hearts out into Him. He knows you better than anyone else. We should be yearning to spend the most time with Him! No one should compare. He knows your frame, your life is continually before Him.

Trust Him. In every circumstance, give glory to God. Remember the woman of God Mary was. May we pray that our hearts would ever be submissive unto God's ultimate authority, and may we yearn to be women of godliness more and more each day.

"Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." ~ Luke 1:45