The Joy Of An Uplifted Soul

Text: Luke 1: 26-38

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Source

Mary was a virgin, engaged to be married to Joseph. She was not the only virgin in Nazareth but she was chosen; she was highly favoured. Angel Gabriel said to her “Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women”. She was intelligent and realistic; she asked the angel about his prediction of her becoming Jesus' mother: How can this be, since I do not know any man? Mary knew and believed the Lord. She was uplifted by God. She was elevated; an ordinary virgin became the Saviour's mother. Elizabeth was uplifted. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she gave birth to John the Baptist. Joseph was lifted from the prison to become second in command to Pharaoh (Gen. 41: 40).

Moses was lifted from the riverbed where he was left to fate to become the leader of the children of Israel who led them Out of Egypt. David was taking care of his father's sheep when he was sent for and he was anointed to be king in front of his brothers. Daniel was in Babylon as a captive when God elevated him to be a great man; his greatness rubbed off on his three friends also. Theirs was a profitable relationship. Esther was an orphan and a captive in Persia and the Lord lifted her; she became the queen instead of Vashti. There are certain areas of your life where you desire uplift, elevation, enlightenment, improvement; but some issues are challenging yours joy. God will turn things around in your favour, for your good; He will wipe away your tears, put a smile on your face and make your joy full. He did it'in the lives of those mentioned above and many more; He can and will do it again for His glory and His name sake.

Luke 1: 39-56

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Mary had been given some information concerning Elizabeth so she went to visit her. Seeing and hearing from Elizabeth further confirmed the . words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. She magnified the Lord and rejoiced in Him because she had been uplifted. One who uplifted is a cheerful person; their spirit has been raised and they have hope. The joy of the Lord will make you strong (Neh.8:10). Lack of joy in the Lord means lack of strength. The hope of a coming change should also cause joy in you. Do not lose your courage; it brings with it a great reward. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. While Abraham waited on God for Isaac, he grew stronger in his faith and gave praise to God (Rom.4:20). Hannah was no longer downcast when she received the word from Eli, God's servant.

No matter the gravity of the challenge you face, focus your attention on the God of your salvation. In Him alone is our deliverance, healing, protection and provision. Befull of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy (Phil.4:4). The Psalmist said: “...I fix my eyes on God, soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He is my God (Psa.42:5). Let us always be assured of the abiding presence of the Lord with us at all times; His presence is salvation. He is the EI-Shaddai, the I am that I am”, our banner and our righteousness. May our souls be lifted up; even as His name is praised and magnified in glory. Amen.