What We Do Not See

December 18, 2024

 “Mary responded, 

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 

For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, 

and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 

For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. 

He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. 

His mighty arm has done tremendous things! 

He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. 

He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. 

He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 

He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. 

For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.””

—Luke 1:46-55 

This is a longer text than I usually like to consider all at once, but there is something going on here that you’ll miss if we only take it a verse at a time. I’ve divided it into two sections so you can see clearly what is happening. In the first section, Mary praises God for what he has done for her and for future generations.

In the second section, she praises God for what he has not yet done, but what she expects he will do, based on what she has already experienced. She speaks as if the future blessings were already accomplished. That is what the Bible means when it says faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Are you trusting God so completely that you can praise him, speaking of things not yet accomplished as if they already were? 

Too often when we pray, we speak our fears based on what we see all around us, instead of speaking out our faith in what we do not see, but nonetheless expect from our faithful and loving Heavenly Father. Don’t look around you at what you’re seeing right now. Instead, remember what he has already done for you, and look to what he has promised.