A Lesson on Encouragement from Mary

Luke 1:46-55 "The Magnificat"

And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviorl For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name; And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. 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. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever."

To be unmarried and pregnant could have meant death for Mary and certainly meant the disdain of her neighbors. We can't prove from scripture that she wasn't afraid or incredibly lonely, but in this passage, we see her doing a couple of things that keep her from drowning emotionally in the negative aspects of her situation.

1. She immediately surrounded herself with people who believed that God's word was true just as it was given.

Luke 1:38-45
And Mary said [to Gabriel], "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of our womb! And how has it [happened] to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of our greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."

Luke 1:56

And Mary stayed with her [Elizabeth] about three months, and [then] returned home.

2. She focused on the immediate positives as they related to her personally.

Luke 1:46-48a (Part b is coming in a minute.)

And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave…"

3. She focused on the long-term positives as they related to her personally.

Luke 1:48b (there it is)-49

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name."

4. She focused on the big picture--God's justice and plan for the redemption of Israel.

Luke 1:50-55

"And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. 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. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever."

When I'm going through a tough time, I need to remember this lesson from Mary. I need to surround myself with people who believe and depend on the inerrancy of God's written word and that it means just what it says. I need to remember that God has good things in store for me personally when I yield myself up to be His servant. And I need to be humbled and honored that God has chosen to write me into His story.