Luke 1:46 ”And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,”

   Usually we use the word ‘magnify’ to describe making something very small very big. That’s not what is meant here. God is not small. Nor does He need to be made bigger.
   However, we use a magnifying glass or microscope to reveal things about an item that we wouldn’t normally be able to see. This IS what Mary is doing. She is proclaiming the great Glory and Majesty of Almighty God. She is revealing how God was working in her life and praising Him for all of it.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving each of us the opportunity to praise You. We can magnify You by sharing with others what You have done in our lives. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

   This is a message straight from the Lord to Mary via Elizabeth. There is always blessing associated with belief. And why? It honors God. He wants us to pay attention to Him and trust Him. Some of this think that strange. But it is only natural for your best friend to expect such things. How much less God, Who made us?

Heavenly Father, You always keep Your Word. Give us faith that we may trust Your every promise. We can trust You with everything, for everything we have comes from You. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:44 “For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”

   Elizabeth knew her son was chosen to be the prophet of the Most High. He would herald the arrival of the Messiah.
   Perhaps the most interesting thing in this verse is the word joy. Elizabeth expressed John’s joy in eutero. Amazing! Wonderful! And what a blessing! God may communicate to us even when we are as yet unborn. And rightly so, for it is He that forms us there.

Heavenly Father, the mysteries of all that You are capable are beyond our ability to search out. Perhaps only in eternity will we begin to understand. Give us now in Your Word glimpses into Your infinitude that we may glorify Your limitless nature. You are altogether holy. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:43 “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

   In ancient Greek the construction of sentences was quite different from English. Needless to say, some explanation is helpful here. The emphasis of Elizabeth’s words is placed on the idea of a personal visit from a significant person. Elizabeth is expressing her thrill to have as a houseguest the very mother of the Messiah. Obviously, the Lord had revealed this truth to her.

Heavenly Father, we may feel that we have an idea of what is really going on around us. But, so often we fail to have a conception of what You are up to. Many of us live our entire lives without ever really realizing what You are doing. Give us eyes that we may see what You do in our world. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:42 “Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

   This is a similar message to what Mary receive​d from Gabriel. Though Elizabeth had not heard that message, she said almost the same thing. Of course, this is because the Holy Spirit was in her. He can miraculously give His people the words to say.
   A warning is appropriate here. Watch out for two things. First, do not stretch Scripture to see a miracle where there isn’t one. And why is this? Because proper interpretation is better than more miracles. The Word contains plenty of miracles without us trying to conjure up more. Improper interpretation is dangerous and doesn’t help the message of the gospel at all.
  Secondly, don’t try to explain away miracles. For example, some might say Elizabeth just happened to say something similar to Gabriel. Or, they may say that Luke wrote similar words into both of their mouths, but they said different things. This is not good. Since the Word of God obviously includes many remarkable miracles, trying to explain away miracles obviously recorded in the text is not at all helpful. There have been those who have done this thinking they were helping make God’s Word sound more plausible, but instead they made it sound less credible. For those who believe one miracle, two miracles is no stretch. But for those who have trouble believing two, one will be no easier. The plain sense of Scripture must be left as is.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word! It is just right. There is in it all that we need for this life. We find so much authenticity in it. It is not just true, but it is practical, insightful, and applicable. May we proclaim it for our whole lives! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:41 “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

   It seems that Elizabeth experienced a share of the special blessing of John. As a woman of faith herself, this was not inappropriate. But, she was in a unique position as the mother of the prophet chosen to prepare the way of the Lord.
   Often we tend to marginalize the secondary persons in the Lord’s work. We focus on the main actors, glorifying them too much. Many, such as Elizabeth here, serve a backup role. John could not perform his ministry yet. But his mother made up for that inability.

Heavenly Father, please remind us that You are determined to use all of us. You have no desire to leave anyone out. Though You will all use us in different ways at different times, You have plans for each of us. Ah but may all that we do bring glory to You! You are worthy! I love You. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:40 “and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.”

   We must be careful not to forget the differences that existed in travel in those days. Being in a hurry, Mary likely had no way to alert Elizabeth to her arrival. So, this was a surprise. Mary probably greeted Elizabeth from the door of her home. And, it may have been many years since Elizabeth had seen her last.

Heavenly Father, help us to always be ready for Your surprises. We never know when some circumstance will change our lives for ever. Thank You for being gracious to us. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:39 “Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,”

   We don’t​ know exactly what city Mary went to when visiting Elizabeth. But the hill country of Judah was just south of Jerusalem. So, this would have been quite a trip for Mary. Nazareth was far north and Mary may have traveled with others since it was a long way. In any case, she does so in a hurry.

Heavenly Father, thank You for protecting us as we travel. We think little of it in this day and time, but travel can be dangerous. Your watch-care is special to us. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:38 “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

   Luke may have interviewed Mary. In any case it seems likely this account came straight from her mouth. And it is a great testimony to her faith.

Heavenly Father, thank You for working in our lives. Sometimes, as with Mary, You ask us to do something big. May we have the faith she had! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

   What is the significance of this being in future tense? Why doesn’t Gabriel just say, “Nothing is impossible with God,” and leave it at that? Well the construction of this verse is difficult to explain in English. English doesn’t allow for a double negative. Greek does.
   So, here is my attempt to explain what Gabriel means here. He is saying that every matter that God says in His Word that He will do will be possible. Every matter that He tells us He will handle He will handle. What Gabriel is telling Mary is two-fold. He is telling Mary nothing is impossible for God. But he is also Telling her that God will do what He says He will do.
   It makes me think of the old Listerine commercial. God says what He does, and does what He says!

Heavenly Father, thank You for establishing Your Word. Never have I found Your Word to be incorrect. It is accurate to the highest degree. I can bank on it. I can build a life on it. I can trust my soul to the Truth I find in it. Thank You for Jesus! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.