God Is Mighty for Us

Quite a few years ago, I read about a speedboat driver who survived an incredible accident while racing. He said that he had been near top speeds when his boat swerved slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning wildly into the air. He was thrown from his seat and launched deeply into the water—so deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to remain calm and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface.

Sometimes, we find ourselves surrounded by confusing options. We can find that we have become too deeply immersed in our own problems to know which way is up. When this happens, we need to remain calm, as well, waiting for God’s gentle tug to pull us in the proper direction.

Our “life vest” may be other Christians, or it may be Scripture. But the key is to recognize our dependency upon God and trust Him. You see, Our God is mighty for us.

A Study in Kindness—1.50, 54, 55

Luke 1:50 (NASB95)

“And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.

Luke 1:54–55 (NASB95)

“He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

As we read these verses, we might find ourselves asking the question “what does it mean for God’s mercy to be extended to those who fear him”? You will recall from last time, from verse 49 that God’s Name is Holy. So we already know that He is a just and righteous God. How then can we understand Him extending mercy?

Let’s look at the definition of mercy. Mercy has been defined as not getting what a person deserves. If I am driving excessively over the speed limit and a policeman pulls me over and simply gives me a lecture on the dangers of driving too fast, without writing me a ticket, then he has shown me mercy. I should have received a substantial ticket, possible car impoundment, and possibly jail time. This is a small measure of what God extends to those who fear Him—mercy.

You see, you and I deserve hell. However, God has provided us heaven. On top of His mercy, He gives us His grace. We receive what we do not deserve.

You and I deserve to die. Yet God has given eternal life.

You and I deserve a miserable existence. Yet God has given us victory and blessing even now.

Notice, however, that Mary points out that this mercy is extended to those who “fear” Him. Here is another of those words we would do well to look at a little for better understanding. The word “fear” is not in a bad sense such as “dreading” something or someone. Instead, it is a reverential fear. It is the same idea as found in Acts 10:2, when Luke writes about Cornelius and his family being God-fearing. “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.”

Let me try to explain it using the policeman situation again. If I would not have respected the police officer who pulled me over (like telling him to get lost or instructing him that my driving was none of his business), I certainly would not have shown reverential or respectful fear. That being the case, the word “mercy” certainly would not have been part of his vocabulary.

With our Lord, if we choose to ignore Him; if we act as if we don’t want to have anything to do with Him or Him with us, then most likely, we will not receive mercy from Him. It is only when we recognize Who God is and who we are in relation to Him, that we can truly fear Him in reverence. Then we can understand what it means to have mercy extended to us.

Now one might wonder how it is that even Christians don’t understand the mighty kindness that is extended to us in Christ. Let me share an illustration that took place on New Year’s Day many years ago.

In the Tournament of Roses Parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. Why? It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas to put into the tank.

Do you know what the ironic thing about this was? This float represented the Standard Oil Company. When you consider the enormous oil resources, it makes you laugh out loud to know that their float ran out of gas.

Sadly, too many Christians neglect the basic spiritual maintenance they need. Even though believers are clothed with power and have received mercy, they find themselves out of gas.

That leads us into the next section, where we see what happens when people rely purely upon themselves and ignore the power that is available to them in Christ.

A Study in Contrasts—1.51-53

Luke 1:51–53 (NASB95)

“He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. “He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed.

Let’s look at the last part of verse 51. He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. The contrast we see here is between the outward and the inward. Here we see the deceptiveness of people’s hearts. Many times, people think they’re pretty special in their way of thinking. Many will think that they have such great intellectual insight or such profound moral understanding. Some scoff at others as if everyone else is a dunce.

Interestingly, Mary recognizes that God scatters those type of people. It is almost as if they are insignificant dust. Those who thought they were so smart and above those who live by faith really aren’t. God shows himself to be strong and able.

But how is this shown? We see in verse 52 the contrasts shown by the fact that God raises and lowers. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. Those who are on a pedestal, whether it be a throne to rule a nation, or a self-made throne because of a person’s ego and wild imagination, will be brought down.

It doesn’t matter how great one is; our God is greater.

It doesn’t matter what one’s position in life is; our God is greatest.

You see, if we display a humble spirit, God raises us up. It doesn’t matter how someone else may treat you. Though they may try to make you feel badly, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they cannot keep you down. God will lift you up. When someone attacks you physically or verbally, you will feel as if the world is against you. Remember what Mary has stated here—God has exalted those who were humble.

So what is the application to us today? We must not be part of the enemy’s plot against God’s children. We must not try to put someone in their place, whether it is by slander or teaching them a lesson. Nor should we give up when we are on the negative receiving end. Take heart that God is mighty for us. He has and will continue to lift up the humble.

The next contrast is seen in verse 53 as we look at emptying and filling. “He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed. Interestingly, many who are rich and seem to have everything they could possibly want, have a tendency to not be content. They often keep chasing after more. In fact, there is a hunger in many who do this that cannot be satisfied.

Yet, often those who don’t have a lot materially, recognize frequently that God is the giver of all good things. In fact, Mary states that God has “filled” the hungry with good things. You see again that our God is mighty for us.

Let me try to bring a bit of application here to this. If we think that because of who we are and what we have achieved that we are something, we deceive ourselves and are going to go away hungry. If we believe that we have all spiritual truth and don’t need one another, we will go away hungry. But according to the Bible, Jesus stated in Matthew 5 that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we’ll be filled. Once again, we see that our God is mighty for us. He takes care of us.

Ponderings

One thing I hope you’ve gleaned from the two messages I’ve shared from Mary’s Song is that Mary was quite mindful of Who God is. She was also quite understanding of just who she was.

In addition, she spent a good deal of time giving praise to God for His greatness. She recognized that God is mighty for us and that he will do great and might deeds for those who fear Him.

Let me remind you of something you already know, but which needs to be repeated. Our church here in Saint Albans is more than just a social gathering place. It is even more than a place for fellowship. It is more than a location to come for church worship and services.

Our church here in Saint Albans is a place where equipping is to be done. It is a place where we receive the tools and instruction from the Bible, so as to effectively do works of service for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We’ve talked often of our desire for revival to come to New England—to Maine—to Saint Albans. We’ve also recognized that it must begin in our own hearts as individuals. It is not done through programs or services or rituals. We also understand that Satan hates revival and all that it might cause, such as reaching others for Christ.

As we’ve gone through Mary’s Song these two weeks, hopefully we have understood that the Jews needed revival desperately, as well. But did you notice that Mary didn’t bemoan and grumble about the condition of all that was going on around her? Instead, she focused herself upon her mighty God.

Brothers and sisters, we can’t just recognize the need for revival; we must want revival.

Let me share with you something that R.A. Torrey, a famous evangelist who worked alongside D.L. Moody shared regarding revival. I can give a prescription that will bring revival . . . revival to any church, or community, or any city on earth.

Let a few Christians get thoroughly right with God. If this is not done, the rest will come to nothing. Let them bind themselves together to pray for revival until God opens the windows of heaven and comes down. Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for His use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.

That is all. I have given this prescription around the world . . . and in no instance has it failed.

Brothers and sisters, if we want revival to come, then we must magnify the Lord and lift Him up alone, and never ourselves.

If we want revival, then God’s people must get right with God. If we cannot see that this happens, then revival will be hindered.

As the elders and their wives come forward, you have the opportunity to come and have them pray with you. Maybe you are willing to put yourself completely at God’s disposal much like Mary when she stated that she was God’s humble bondservant. You’re willing to let God use you in whatever way He chooses.

Or maybe you need to get right with God. You may have painted over and over and over an area in your life so that nobody can really see it. Yet you know that you and God know about it and it needs to be taken care of so He can use you.

I understand that this may be a bit strange, if not unusual for a Christmas season message. Yet, as I’ve thought about this and prayed about this, I am convinced that if we are indeed celebrating the coming of the Christ who transforms lives, there is not a better time.

Besides, is there a greater gift for you to give, than to give yourself completely to the Lord?