And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. (Luke 1:45, NKJV).
Dear God You are worthy of all our praise and our souls swell with joy just to think that You are our God and that You have called us Your people. Please speak to our hearts today as we seek to offer You our highest praise! This we ask in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
There is nothing in this world that does as much good for our bodies and souls as praising God. Is it any wonder then that the apostle Paul encourages us: “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18. Emphasis provided). This is not an easy thing to do, but it is a good thing to do. For the past two years I have been attending a Health & Spirituality Conference. This year the emphasis was on, Interrupting the Stress Response. It was a wonderful conference! As I look back at an experience I lived when our first born fell asleep in the Lord Paul’s advice suddenly made all the sense in the world. A few minutes after my daughter fell asleep I remember standing beside her bed lifting my hands to God and thanking Him.
I thanked Him for the years that He had lent her to us. I thanked Him for the precious daughter she had been. I thanked Him for the wonderful friendship I had shared with her. I thanked Him for the wonderful wife she had been. I thanked Him for the outstanding mother she had been up to the very end. I thanked Him for the amazing role model she had been for her siblings. I am convinced that it was the Holy Spirit who led me into that praise session in order to save my life. If that moment of overwhelming, brutal, abnormal, pain had not been interrupted by profound, supernatural thanksgiving, I would not be sitting here sharing this experience with you. I would have died. It was the giving of thanks at that precise moment that saved my life. The results from a test run by my doctor some months later convinced me of that.
Mary, a virgin in her early teens, has just been told by an angel that she is going to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah. No news that you or I have ever received can compare with such a disclosure! And Mary moved by the Holy Spirit breaks out into praise:
” ‘ “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 remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.” ‘ ”
She magnified His holy name as she rejoiced in God for taking her into consideration as humble as she was! He had honored her in such a way that generations to come would recognize in her one who had been favored by God. She glorified Him for His greatness and praised His holy name! Then she went on to prophecy. After that praise session she could regain her composure and go to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
There are several methods of interrupting the stress response that were recommended at the conference (deep breathing, relaxation method, meditation, etc.). I am sure they can all be useful in any given situation. I have tried some of them. However, I can tell you from experience that in my extreme situation the Holy Spirit led me to magnify and praise the Lord.
Our God “[inhabits] the praise of [His people]” (Psalm 22:3). That being the case praise brings God very close to us. And in the time of pain you certainly want to be close to God. Draw near to God now in the time of calm. As Job said: “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you” (22:21. Emphasis provided). And even if bad times should come you will be able to magnify His name for His presence will bring you peace.