"He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed." (Luke 1:51-53)
Imagine for a moment that you were told that God is going to make His boldest move in centuries and that you were going to have the chief role. How would you feel? How would you handle the situation? Would you take the bull by the horns and say, "Give it to me God. I can handle it" and then charge on ahead with the task He has assigned you? Would you tell everyone about it and rally people behind you to support you?
Mary was in such a position. It was her task to carry God's Son in her womb for nine months, and then to raise Him as her own. Betrothed to be married to a righteous man, and in a town of very little significance, this certainly seemed like a major task for her. It would certainly be life-changing. So how did Mary deal with it? Let's take a look at the next part of her prayer.
Mary's Perspective
In our verses today we clearly see that Mary understood where the power lay. God may have given her an important role in His plan to bring the Messiah into the world, but she recognised that at the end of the day it was God who had the power.
Being a true Jewish girl, Mary would have been known the history of the nation. It was taught through the feasts and sacrifices that they perform and in the synagogues. She was living in a town overlooking the Jezreel Valley that had witnessed many major events in the nation's history. A history filled with many mighty and godly men and women: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Deborah, Ruth, David, Elijah, Nehemiah, to name but a few. Their actions and faith were highly regarded by the nation of Israel, and in some cases, envied by other nations.
But Mary, probably recalling these people and their actions at this point in time, declares that it was God who performed the mighty deeds. That He raised up the humble, which all of these men were, and destroyed the proud, such as Pharaoh, Saul, Nebuchadnezzar and Darius. And that it was God who provided.
Our Perspective
We are living in a society that puffs itself up. That elevates certain men and women above others. Where people are praised for what they have accomplished or achieved in their lives. It is also a society that looks down on people who seem to be of a lower station. Where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. A society that criticises and points fingers at people who do not do things they way they "should" be done. A society where the ordinary person on the street has to struggle to get by in life. Sadly, this attitude is in the church too.
It is so easy for us to think that we do not have any task to perform for God and His Kingdom. That those tasks are for the people "closer" to God or more holy than us. After all, none of us will ever be given the task of being the mother or father of the Messiah, nor will we be chosen to lead a nation out of captivity and through a great river. Those things have already been done and have served their purpose.
However, each of us in our own right has been tasked with some work for the Kingdom, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant it may be. Each of us has been given gifts to use within the Kingdom. It is up to us to just get busy and do what we can.
But we need to remember that the gifts and accomplishments in our lives are not as a result of anything we have done, but rather are from and by God. Nor must we allow ourselves to become proud about it, because God will cut us down to size. Rather we are to do our bit for the Kingdom in submission and humility before the one who has all the power, and when we do, God will use us in ways beyond our imagination. Just like Mary.
Just a Thought!
© 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment