He Noticed Her
“And Mary said: 'My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.'”
— Luke 1:46-48 (NIV)
Mary was young, poor, unmarried and from a village nobody quoted. She had no status of any kind. Her song does not say God rewarded her for being remarkable. It says He was mindful of her low position, which is the opposite claim. Everything that follows in the song is about God turning the usual order upside down.
God pays attention downward, not upward. Mary had nothing that would make anyone look at her, and He looked anyway. If people overlook you, that says nothing about you. You can stop competing for attention that was never the condition.
Notice Downward
- 1Name one thing about your life that feels too ordinary to mention. Thank God for it by name.
- 2Pay real attention today to someone others tend to walk past.
God, thank You that You see me even though I am not impressive.
I do not have to be impressive for God to see me.
What is this passage called?
The Magnificat, from the first word of the Latin translation. It is Mary's song after visiting her relative Elizabeth.
What does humble state mean here?
Low position, not modest attitude. It describes her actual social standing rather than her personality.
What comes after these verses?
A series of reversals: the proud scattered, rulers brought down, the hungry filled. The whole song runs in one direction.