In Exalted: How the Power
of the Magnificat Can Transform Us, Sonja Corbitt offers a verse by verse
study of the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55). The Magnificat is Mary’s prayer of praise
when her cousin Elizabeth acknowledges that pregnant Mary as “the mother of my
Lord.”
Corbitt is known as the “Bible Study Evangelista” and brings
a solid knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments to her discussion of Mary’s
song. She not only describes the historical and theological background of the
Magnificat; she strives to explore the ways the Magnificat has meaning in each
of our own lives. She challenges us to believe that, like Mary, God can do
great things with our lives if we surrender our lives to Him. The question we
should ask ourselves is not, “What do I want to do for God?” but rather, “What
does he want to do with me?”
Corbitt also invites us to see the hand of God at work in
our lives in every circumstance. The key point is to be humble like Mary. “One
of the most pervasive impediments to going all-in with God is the fear we will
lose ourselves by doing so . . . And yet what we miss in our unwillingness to
be humbled in the exaltation he intended for us all along.”
One of the interesting things I learned is that Mary’s name
comes from the same root as “myrrh” which means “bitter.” In the Bible, one’s
name reveals much about the person. Myrrh was present with the magi, on the
cross, and in the tomb. Myrrh was also used in the tabernacle incense used in
front of the Jewish holy of holies. Mary was a “myrrh bearer,” experiencing
great bitterness in terms of the suffering that she would endure. “Mary received
her suffering as a precious gift, because the object of her suffering was her
son.”
Exalted can be used by
individuals or groups. At the end of each chapter, there is a review,
invitation, and a God prompt to help readers go deeper in their spiritual lives.
We, too, are called to give praise to God with both our words and our lives.
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