Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . . .”

— Luke 1:46-47

Lavelle tends to break into song at any given moment. Not like someone humming a favorite hymn from their childhood. Oh no. Lavelle will bellow and blast out a note of praise at the top of his lungs. He is a living testimony of God’s grace and goodness.

Now, it’s true that Lavelle likes having an audience. But even more so, he needs to praise God. He needs to express what is inside of him—belting out praise for who God is in his life. Lavelle has inside of him a song to sing. In Luke 1 we read that Mary had a song to sing. And she sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord,” because God had chosen her—of all people!—to carry the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Other translations read, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” To magnify is to make bigger—like with a magnifying glass. For us, Mary became a model of a decreased self while Christ increased in her and in her life. As John the Baptist would later say, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, NRSV). Do you sing a song that puts life back into perspective—where you are reminded just how big God, creation, and the love of Jesus are? What are the songs that God has put in your soul to magnify the Lord?

Amazing God, you have given us a song to sing—like Mary and Lavelle—a song of victory, a song of praise. Today may we magnify you in all we do. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.