Rejoice in the Lord

Soon after Mary discovered she was going to give birth to the Messiah, she went to visit her relative, Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew that Mary was pregnant because the child, John, in Elizabeth's womb jumped for joy. Elizabeth said to Mary, "blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her." (Luke 1:45 NIV).

Then, we enter the section in Luke 1 that in some versions is labeled "Mary's Song." Even in the crazy uncertainty of finding out that she was pregnant, even though she was an unmarried virgin, Mary trusted God and worshipped Him! Mary's song is a beautiful reminder of who God was in the Old Testament and that He is still the same today and forever!

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name,

His mercy extends to those who fear Him from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors."

Luke 1:46-55 NIV

I can read that song line by line and take something new and beautiful out of it. Overall, we can see here that God favors humility. He does not want us to be prideful, even in our "inmost thoughts." The deep, internal pride is the kind that I fall into. The kind of pride that speaks like a toddler saying, "I do it myself." (Yes, I was that kind of toddler, and I am still that kind of adult.) Humility involves acknowledging that God is God, and I am so very small, just like the toddler, who is convinced she can pour the milk all by herself and then finds herself in a puddle of milk, crying for mom. I am utterly dependent.

But God is faithful. I can rejoice in knowing that He is God. I need to slow down today and meditate on the true wonder of this season. College students get caught up in finals and look forward to a season of rest with their families. What if you go home and offer to help with the cooking, cleaning, and preparation this season? Busy working women look forward to a few days off, but what if we spend the downtime meditating God's word instead of binging our favorite shows.

Christmas is about Jesus. Full stop. Not gifts, not sleep, not food, not even family. Even though those are good things, they cannot be our focus this year! Jesus is everything. If we had nothing else, we can be content with knowing that we have a savior, and He is for us! I recently went through a season of questioning whether God had a plan for my life, but God never changed.

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Psalm 33:11 NIV

We may go through seasons, but our God is the same God who miraculously brought about the birth of Jesus. The same God who was faithful to Israel in bringing them to the promised land again and again. This season, we can rejoice in the Lord because He is good!

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 NIV

I'm so fired up as I write this! And I cannot stress enough how important it is to slow down see Christ in this season and worship Him!

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2 NIV

Lord, I love you so much! Thank you for humbling yourself and coming to live a human life, dying a gruesome death, and ultimately offering us eternity with you. I write these words to glorify you, but there aren't enough words in all the Bible or even in all the earth to express your goodness and greatness. Thank you for this season and I pray you allow us to slow down and see your face today.

Amen.