DAY 16: The First Christmas Carol
BY: Jess Hammond
“Elizabeth said to Mary: “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.’ Mary responded, ‘Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children.”
Luke 1:46-55
There’s nothing like classic Christmas carols to take you back to vivid memories of your childhood. I turn on ‘Oh Little Town of Bethlehem’ and it takes me back to years of Christmas Eve services followed by festivities at my uncle’s house; he would dress up like Santa and hand out gifts to all of the kids.
Music has a powerful way of taking us back to specific moments in our lives.
I can’t help but think of how Mary must have felt as she sang this carol of praise to God. Her childhood memories of learning the Word of God and His promises must have flooded her heart. Mary knew full well the history of her people; she was raised in a Jewish home where they were taught the ways of God, the stories of Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. Mary knew that God was about to change the course of human history and she was chosen to play a part in this divine plan.
We get a beautiful glimpse into the heart of this girl who just learned that her whole world was being flipped upside down. Luke 6:45 says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and what was stored in her heart was faith, praise, trust, and complete surrender to the Author of Life. She knew that living in His story was the most secure place to be. So, she offered her life in complete surrender to all that God had planned and praised Him that she could be a part of it.
What if we stored up in our hearts the treasures she had in hers?
What if we lived in awestruck wonder at the ways He is working even now to bring about His will for the world?
He chooses the unlikely. He chooses men and women the world would completely look over and disregard.Just read through Mary’s song. She saw herself as a “lowly servant girl” (Luke 1:48). But He found favor with her) and called her blessed (Luke 1:28).
His ways are not like ours and His thoughts are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8). I am grateful that we don’t have to have it all figured out.
Let us humble ourselves in complete surrender that we might see Him do great and mighty things in our generation!
Daily Challenge:
Is there anything stored in your heart that does not resemble God?
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