Having watched the trauma of a woman giving birth, it got me thinking about what Mary went through. As Joy was in labour she had a midwife constantly monitoring her, she had a safe cosy hosptial room. she had medicine at hand, and at one point seven health professionals in the room. Still I would never belittle the pain that she endured, I am in awe of her. Yet contrast that to what Mary had, Mary was probably in her early teens when she said yes to the message that Gabriel brought from the LORD. Through that she endured ridicule from her neighbours for being pregnant before she got married. The suffering that she went through in travelling during the final stage of pregnancy. Finally giving birth to the LORD Jesus in an area fit not for birth but for feeding cattle. She had no drugs, no health professionals, yet she endured it because God had called her to bare His Son. She was chosen, and highly favoured. When we evangelicals read the magnificat we rightly point out that Mary acknowledges that she is a sinner in need of a saviour but we have possibly overreacted to Roman Catholicism's Mary worship by ignoring her or despising her as though it was her fault that she has been made to much of. In the magnificat we have evidence that this young lady was a woman who loved her saviour, who knew her scriptures and was prepared to say yes to God even though it meant hardship. She even sounds like Piper in the magnificat (which means magnify)which begins with "my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. We must not worship her but we should admire her and seek to follow her example and commitment to God, even when it costs.
God Bless
Stephen
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