Oh, behold, my Savior has come!

And my soul will tell of His praise

For He Who is strong has come to the weak

And, at last, He will reign as our King of Peace!

Have you ever waited for the sun to rise and warm the day?

Have you ever waited in a dark room for the light to be restored?

Have you ever waited in a quiet place for good news?

We all have waited in some way feeling forgotten or too little to be remembered. It may be exactly how the people felt before Jesus’ birth. Has God forgotten to send the Messiah? Will He actually bring all that He has promised? Feeling too little also seems to be how Mary saw herself. Yet from her “humble estate,” she remembers who God is.

Luke 1:46-49 says, “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.’”

Mary continues in her song to proclaim the great things that the Lord has done. Scattering the proud; bringing down the mighty; exalting the humble; filling the hungry; showing his strength (Luke 1:51-53). But all of this can be summed up in that God will level and straighten all things for His glory. Mary acknowledges and proclaims that only the Lord is great enough to do this work. It is the Lord who is mighty and holy.

As we celebrate Christmas Day, we know that God did keep His promise to send the Messiah. He did fulfill all that the prophets said He would. He showed His greatness and mightiness, His mercy and kindness. Today and every day may we hold fast to who God is from even our own humble estates, and remember that “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” (Isaiah 9:2)

— Kimber Callen