![[Painting of Mary]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/my_soul_glorifies_the_Lord_v02.jpg)
| Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.… The Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.” |
| —Luke 1:46 |
In the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, Mary sets an excellent example for us. Upon receiving rather startling news from the angel Gabriel that she will bear the Son of God, Mary glories God, rejoices in Him, and praises Him for what He has done. Do you notice the pattern?
When confronted by anything in our lives, we do well if we follow Mary’s example and do the following:
- Glorify God
- Rejoice in God
- Praise God for what He has done
Following those three key suggestions seems relatively easy when whatever has happened is viewed by us as a “good thing.” But, when troubling events assail our lives, we naturally have more difficulty in following the wise pattern of Mary’s example.
But, stop for just a minute and consider the actual circumstances of Mary’s life when she receives this amazing news. First of all, she is a relatively young woman, probably an early teenager. While it was not uncommon for such a young woman to become married, nevertheless her age does play a role in the shaping of the circumstances in which she finds herself.
Secondly, while Mary has been betrothed to Joseph and will become Joseph’s wife, she has not had sexual relations with him or any man. The whole idea that she is pregnant by the intervention of the Holy Spirit of God is so outlandish on its face that Mary can likely hardly process this news.
How can she become pregnant when she has not had sexual relations with a man? Even though she has been told by the angel that the father of her baby is really God through His Holy Spirit, who is going to believe her? Won’t they think she has lost her mind? Surely, they will accuse her of lying.
“Of course,” they will say, “she must have had sexual relations with some man. This baby is the result of that sinful act.” She will be shunned. She will have harmed the reputation of this man to whom she is betrothed.
Even faced with these unusual, even unthinkable, circumstances, Mary makes a conscious choice to do something quite unique. She will exercise the opportunity to glorify God, rejoice in God, and praise Him for what He has done.
As we begin another day, when circumstances arise in our lives, let us not hold back from doing exactly what Mary did. If we follow Mary’s example, we will do very well, indeed.
