“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;
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 on 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.” Luke 1:46-55

In this poetic passage, Mary expresses incredible joy. The thing that I find interesting is that she is rejoicing, not only over the great things God is doing in her own life, but also about the bigger picture of God’s work throughout history.

She talks about God having mercy on generation after generation. She is excited about His justice in bringing down the proud and the privileged, while exalting the humble and filling the hungry. The fact that God is keeping promises He made thousands of years before she was even born makes her joyful and excited.

Too often, my focus is so narrow. My joy in the Lord often hinges upon what I see Him doing in my life. I hardly give any thought to the bigger picture. I definitely don’t write poetry praising Him for His work throughout history and all over the globe.

Lord, teach me to have joy like Mary’s. Help me to lift up Your name because You are worthy, and not just because You’ve blessed me. Help me to rise above preoccupation with my own concerns and learn to rejoice in every aspect of who You are and what You have done, are doing, and will do.