December 17 Devotion - My soul magnifies The Lord

Now Maryam* arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Maryam, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

“My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. ⁴⁸ For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. ⁴⁹ For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name. ⁵⁰ And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy, ⁵⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

 * Jesus spoke Aramaic. In Aramaic His mother’s name is Maryam.

Luke 1:39-55

Maryam’s psalm of praise reveals a repeated use of the terminology and theology of the Old Testament. It is obvious that Maryam was very well versed in the Old Testament and accordingly her hymn demonstrates that. Maryam’s praise begins with her grateful response to the grace God has shown to her, a humble servant of the Lord. Maryam does not in any way view herself as better or holier than anyone else. She views herself as the Lord’s servant, whose humble estate is the occasion for His mercy and grace. There is no hint that she thinks God has chosen her to be the mother of Messiah due to her blessedness, but rather that her blessedness is the result of God’s sovereign and gracious choice to use her as His instrument. Maryam saw her blessing as but an illustration, one instance of God’s grace, which leads her to praise God for His grace to all those who fear Him, from one generation to generation. Maryam’s praise focuses on the faithfulness of God to His promises.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself and to meditate on it:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love.Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Lord, use me as Your instrument that I may be blessed by Your sovereign and gracious choice. Help me Lord to learn from Maryam, the mother of Jesus, to see myself as Your servant and help me to feel joy in my spirit in my God my saviour. Holy is Your name LORD. Thank You God for Your faithfulness to Your  promises.

Lord, I join all the generations to call the virgin Maryam, mother of Jesus, as ‘blessed’.

In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

وَفِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ، قَامَتْ مَرْيَمُ وَذَهَبَتْ مُسْرِعَةً إِلَى الْجِبَالِ، قَاصِدَةً إِلَى مَدِينَةٍ مِنْ مُدُنِ يَهُوذَا.  

 ⁴⁰ فَدَخَلَتْ بَيْتَ زَكَرِيَّا وَسَلَّمَتْ عَلَى أَلِيصَابَاتَ.

 ⁴¹ وَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ أَلِيصَابَاتُ سَلاَمَ مَرْيَمَ، قَفَزَ الْجَنِينُ دَاخِلَ بَطْنِهَا. وَامْتَلَأَتْ أَلِيصَابَاتُ مِنَ الرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ،

 ⁴² وَهَتَفَتْ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ قَائِلَةٍ: «مُبَارَكَةٌ أَنْتِ بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ! وَمُبَارَكَةٌ ثَمَرَةُ بَطْنِكِ!

 ⁴³ فَمِنْ أَيْنَ لِي هَذَا: أَنْ تَأْتِيَ إِلَيَّ أُمُّ رَبِّي؟

 ⁴⁴ فَإِنَّهُ مَا إِنْ وَقَعَ صَوْتُ سَلاَمِكِ فِي أُذُنَيَّ حَتَّى قَفَزَ الْجَنِينُ ابْتِهَاجاً فِي بَطْنِي:

 ⁴⁵ فَطُوبَى لِلَّتِي آمَنَتْ أَنَّهُ سَيَتِمُّ مَا قِيلَ لَهَا مِنْ قِبَلِ الرَّبِّ! »

  ⁴⁶ فَقَالَتْ مَرْيَمُ: «تُعَظِّمُ نَفْسِي الرَّبَّ،

 ⁴⁷ وَتَبْتَهِجُ رُوحِي بِاللهِ مُخَلِّصِي.

 ⁴⁸ فَإِنَّهُ نَظَرَ إِلَى تَوَاضُعِ أَمَتِهِ، وَهَا إِنَّ جَمِيعَ الأَجْيَالِ مِنَ الآنَ فَصَاعِداً سَوْفَ تُطَوِّبُنِي.

 ⁴⁹ فَإِنَّ الْقَدِيرَ قَدْ فَعَلَ بِي أُمُوراً عَظِيمَةً، قُدُّوسٌ اسْمُهُ،

 ⁵⁰ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَهُ جِيلاً بَعْدَ جِيلٍ.

 ⁵¹ عَمِلَ بِذِرَاعِهِ قُوَّةً؛ شَتَّتَ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ فِي نِيَّاتِ قُلُوبِهِمْ.

 ⁵² أَنْزَلَ الْمُقْتَدِريِنَ عَنْ عُرُوشِهِمْ، وَرَفَعَ الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ.

 ⁵³ أَشْبَعَ الْجِيَاعَ خَيْرَاتٍ، وَصَرَفَ الأَغْنِيَاءَ فَارِغِينَ.

 ⁵⁴ أَعَانَ إِسْرَائِيلَ فَتَاهُ، مُتَذَكِّراً الرَّحْمَةَ،

⁵⁵ كَمَا تَكَلَّمَ إِلَى آبَائِنَا، لإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَنَسْلِهِ إِلَى الأَبَدِ».