Mary exhibited an awakened soul that flourished because of her God. God placed quite a calling on her life, one which made many turn their heads and gossip while others looked down on her in shame. Despite this reality, she embraced what God had planned for her.
When God reveals a calling upon you, how do you respond?
In Luke 1:46-56, you see a vivid picture of Mary’s awakened soul. What joy lies within Mary as God chose her to bear the Son of God. Notice how her soul responds, “My soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” Her spirit couldn’t get any higher on this side of heaven. She was full of God which means she was content, satisfied and at peace.
When God fills your spirit, you too, will be content, satisfied and at peace.
Something happens to you when you realize that God sees you. He took notice of a lowly, servant girl. From now on, all people will call her blessed, see verse 48. When God has His hand upon you, you are blessed. Psalm 31:19 says, “How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You. You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world.”
Take a look at how Mary knows her Lord. She reveals what she believes whole-heartedly in her heart. “The Mighty One is holy and He has done great things for me.” Would you see an unplanned pregnancy that your fiancé had nothing to do with, as a great thing God is doing? What is God asking of you that could keep you from rejoicing in the Lord and following whatever He is telling you to do? Despite the uncertainties, Mary embraced God. Anything else was secondary and deemed unimportant in the moment.
She goes on to express what her heart cherishes. She knows her God shows mercy to all who fear Him, see verse 50. He has a mighty arm that does tremendous things. Mary lives with an expectant heart towards good things. She dwells in the positive rather than focusing on the negative. She knows God exalts the humble too. This may be why God chose her. She had a humble heart.
Verse 53 tells you that God fills the hungry with good things as well. When your awakened soul looks up at God, He is faithful to feed it the very things that keep you moving forward in faith. Mary kept her soul looking up.
You learn from verses 51-53 that there is no room for self, aka your ego, when it comes to living by faith. Where God unites believers, He scatters the proud and haughty ones. It is not wise to think that you do not need God. Every person born needs God. If everyone would choose to see this truth, you and I would live in a whole different world. He sends the rich away with empty hands too. While money is nice, if you make it the priority over embracing God Himself, woe is you. Take a look at Luke 16:13 and Matthew 6:19-34.
Mary reflected back on the past in verses 54-55. God takes care of His own. He has been merciful and faithful since the beginning of time. His promises last forever. This helped strengthen her awakened soul as she went about her day(s) praising her God as she waited for the Lord Jesus to arrive.
How do you wait on God? I’m going to be honest; I don’t wait well. I find I would like God to move a bit faster. To help me with my impatience, God puts me in timeouts. This past year, for example, He has had me sit with Him quietly. He has to remind me that I have to trust Him even when I can’t see Him working. I have to believe when no doors are opening up. He is with me and that is all that matters.
He is calling me to dig deep and believe, to dig deep so my faith stays alive and well.
God will place you in whatever setting necessary to awaken your soul. Why? For He loves you so much that He sent His Son to become the bridge that you can walk across to get home to Him. He desires for you to walk united in love on a daily basis with His Son. The Holy Spirit will speak to your soul and lead you to a higher ground where all things are possible. Reflect on Luke 1:37 and allow God to take you deeper in faith where your soul will become awakened.
Carol J German 