“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 generationto 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 thronesand exalted the humble.He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away with empty hands.He has helped his servant Israeland remembered to be merciful.For he made this promise to our ancestors,to Abraham and his children forever.” (Luke 1:46b–55 NLT)
There is a special age in the life of every child where they see the skill level, intelligence, and strength of their parents as unmatched. Their dad is as strong as a super hero, their mom makes cookies better than any bakery, and both of them can fix anything.
Yet, at some point the reality of who their parents actually are becomes apparent, usually due to some failure. It’s inevitable. Maybe a back is thrown out, cookies are accidentally burnt, or a toy cannot be fixed. Ultimately, the result is the same: no longer does their child see the parents as the Platonic ideal. They learn that nobody is perfect.
But there is one parent who is perfect. God the Father is unfailing, all powerful, and incorruptible. As Joshua tells the people of Israel, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:8). God – Immanuel – is always with us, and he will never let us down.
Luke 1:46–55 could easily be read as a child bragging about how great their parent is, but unlike a first grader overhyping his dad on the school playground, every accolade Mary extolls upon her Father is true.
All too often, the parental example we see in those who raised us become the glasses through which we see other parents, including our Heavenly Father. Even those of us who grew up with the absolute best parents in the world – complete with mugs to prove it – they are still human and full of flaws and faults. If we aren’t careful, these faults can easily creep into how we view God the Father.
When we read passages like this psalm from Mary, it’s crucial that we hold onto two thoughts simultaneously: this description is concerning a specific people group in a specific point in time and should not necessarily be applied broadly to all people groups across all time, and this absolutely has an impact on our lives if we allow it.
There is a specific historicity that we must not ignore when reading Scripture. To ignore the context of any given passage is akin to wielding a hammer by holding it near the top: the weight that gives it its strength is negated, leaving it sterile and powerless. Yet so much of Scripture is still applicable to us, even when – or especially when – taken in the broader context.
In the case of this passage, where Mary describes all God has done and continues to do, we can use it to shape our understanding of who he is, even today. Her description of a God who cares for the lowly and is merciful is the Platonic ideal, the measuring stick by which all other parents – and people in general – are to be measured. Obviously none of us can live up to that ideal, but just because we aren’t perfect doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still try to follow our Father’s example.
How have your parents – for good or ill – shaped your understanding of God? How has God shaped your view of what it means to be a parent?