“He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts” (Luke 1:51).
Why is it so often that the wicked are exalted while the righteous are abased? Is that how it should be in God’s world? Obviously not. Here we see in the song of Mary a glimpse of how it will be in the Messiah’s kingdom. The Savior will scatter the proud when He stretches out His mighty arm to save the lowly. This is what He has done in the past, says Mary, and now that He is coming into the world He will certainly accomplish it.
In the past “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (Luke 1:52), and He will do it again. He is the God who overturns history, and who restores a topsy-turvy world. Not only has God put down the wicked and lifted up the godly, it is also true that “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:53).
“He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever” (Luke 1:54–55). Mary celebrates a God who remembers His covenant. It is important to recall that Luke has an eye for history and that the birth of Jesus did not happen in a vacuum. Jesus was born after generations of promises and covenants from God. Age after age God had renewed His promises, and now, at last, those promises were coming into their fullness in space and time.
How often we as Christians live only from experience to experience! But we are called to obey and serve when we don’t feel like it. What carries us on such occasions? Our covenant memory. If we never experience another blessing from God and never sense His presence again, we should still have every reason to praise God every day for what He has already done for us. Yet how often we forget. Thank God that He does not forget His covenant promises to us.
Our faithfulness to others should be founded on and modeled after God’s covenant faithfulness to us. This means being faithful in the routine activities of life. Today fulfill your responsibilities with a sense of gratitude for God’s faithfulness to you.
