Last Christmas, I was five months pregnant with my son; my first-born son. As Christmas began to draw near, I found myself thinking of Mary quite a lot. Millions hold her up as God, but she was just an ordinary girl. She was, in every way, human. God chose her, not because she was divine, but because she was a willing and empty vessel that He could use. Last year, as I carried a baby boy in my womb, I thought back to Mary and I wondered, "What DID she really feel like when Jesus moved in her womb?" Each time I would feel Nathan kick or have the hiccups, I would smile and wait for another movement. I was overjoyed. I was overwhelmed. I was moved to tears. I was ecstatic. "Is this how Mary felt? No...to know that this baby was not just hers, but God-in-flesh...how much more did she feel?" Every feeling I had as a mommy-to-be must have been amplified for her.
One of my favorite prayers in the Bible is Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2. In Luke chapter 1, when Mary visits Elisabeth, Mary quotes a portion of Hannah's prayer. I studied it quite a bit last year as I held in my body MY first-born son. As Elisabeth praised God for the miracle of Mary's conception, Mary burst into, in my opinion, one of the most powerful prayers of praise I have ever read. As I read that prayer over and over, I penned the following song. Imagining myself in Mary's shoes and anticipating the day when I would hold my baby boy, I wrote "Emmanuel, You Have Come."
As Christmas grows closer and closer, let us have the same anthem of praise that Mary had. She never exalted herself. She never boasted that the Lord chose her to bear the Savior. Instead, she said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord!"
The night is cold, the road is weary
We've traveled long, underneath the stars
Inside my womb moves our Messiah
The holy One of Israel, Lamb of God
Lord, I'm just an ordinary girl
Yet I'm to bear the Savior of the world!
Oh my soul magnifies the Lord
My spirit rejoices in my God
The King of kings, the Great I Am
Who led us here to Bethlehem
I will praise You for the mighty things You've done
Emmanuel, You have come
The wind blows, the time is nearing
Angels sing the news up in the sky
Let the nations now rejoice in the Savior
For our Deliver will be born this night
May the whole world praise Your holy name
From now until forever I'll proclaim
Oh, my soul magnifies the Lord
My spirit rejoices in my God
The King of kings, the Great I Am
Who led us here to Bethlehem
I will praise You for the mighty things You've done
Emmanuel, You have come
You have come....
You have come....
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