12.14.25 | The Magnificat Pt. 3 | 9:00a Worship x Grace Ridge Church Online

Devotional

Day 1: The Mighty Arm of God in Our Midst

God’s arm is not short. Throughout Scripture, His reach breaks into history to accomplish what we cannot. In a world that trains us to center everything on self, Mary points our eyes back to the One whose strength carries the story. You do not have to hold the universe together; you are invited to trust the One who does. Ask Him to reveal where His providence is already at work around you today, and rest there [36:23]

Isaiah 59:16 — Seeing no one able to rescue, the Lord stepped in Himself; by His own powerful arm He brought salvation, and His righteousness upheld the work.

Reflection: Where, this week, can you stop striving to manage an outcome and instead ask God to act with His strong arm?

Day 2: Scattered Pride and a Freed Heart

Pride often hides just beneath the surface, whispering that our glory matters more than God’s. When we live to elevate ourselves, we inevitably look down on others to feel taller. Mary celebrates the God who will not let pride rule the story; He scatters it, even at the thought level. Freedom comes as we choose God’s honor over our image, and humility over self-protection. Ask Him to gently expose where pride is shaping your reactions, and receive the grace to walk low and free [39:04]

Luke 1:51 — With strong power, God stretches out His arm; He disrupts and disperses those puffed up by their own thoughts.

Reflection: Identify one conversation or decision where you tend to defend your image; what would choosing quiet humility there actually look like this week?

Day 3: He Brings Down Thrones, Lifts the Lowly

The story of God topples pretended strength and dignifies the overlooked. From Pharaoh to Jericho, and finally to a peasant girl in Nazareth, the Lord shows that true power belongs to Him. Positions and platforms so easily go to our heads, but the kingdom raises the humble and unseats the self-exalting. Mary’s song invites us to see influence as stewardship, not status. Offer your role—large or small—back to God, and ask Him to use it to lift others and honor His name [41:38]

Luke 1:52 — He removes rulers from their seats of power, and He raises up those the world calls insignificant.

Reflection: Where do you hold a title, platform, or influence—big or small—and how might you deliberately use it this week to elevate someone overlooked?

Day 4: Filled with Good Things: Learning Dependence

Mary’s words about the hungry and the rich are about dependence more than bank accounts. When the mountain looms, our reflex is often self-reliance; yet God invites a posture of hunger that He delights to satisfy. Wealth, plans, and skills are good gifts, but they make cruel saviors when they become our trust. The Lord gives daily bread, opens unexpected paths, and sustains us when we cannot see the way. Bring your need to Him today, and let dependence become your strength [42:54]

Luke 1:53 — He satisfies the hungry with what they truly need, but those leaning on their riches walk away empty-handed.

Reflection: What is one concrete way you can practice dependence on God rather than your savings or skills in the next 72 hours?

Day 5: Living the Great Reversal with Daily Surrender

Mary gives all glory to God, and in that posture the lowly are lifted into the family of the King. The kingdom realigns our calendars, ambitions, and desires toward humble obedience. Everything we have—time, talents, treasure—already belongs to Him; our joy is to steward it for His sake. Ask the Lord to organize your day, to interrupt your plans with His presence, and to lead you in quiet faithfulness. Walk into this week with open hands and a heart ready to obey [44:48]

Luke 1:54–55 — He stays near to His people and keeps the mercy He promised long ago, faithfully fulfilling the word He gave to Abraham and his descendants forever.

Reflection: Looking at your calendar, where can you open margin to listen and obey, letting God organize your day rather than your urgency?

Sermon Summary

After centuries of silence, God breaks in with a song from a peasant girl that turns the world upside down. I walked us through Mary’s words in Luke 1:51-53: He has shown strength with his arm; he scatters the proud; he brings down the mighty; he exalts the humble; he fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty. The heart of it is the great reversal: what our culture celebrates—status, self-promotion, accumulation—God overturns by his mighty arm. That “arm” is the Old Testament picture of God’s personal, decisive action in history (think Isaiah 59, Psalm 89). He reaches into our world to align it with his will, not ours.

We named three reversals. First, God scatters the proud. Pride isn’t just loud arrogance; it’s the quiet habit of seeking our own glory above God’s. It sits just beneath the surface of our reactions—“I’ll show them”—and it deforms love because we must push others down to lift ourselves up. God, in mercy, breaks that pattern.

Second, God brings down the mighty and exalts the humble. Pharaoh fell, Jericho crumbled, kingdoms toppled—not because Israel had better tech, but because God was building his kingdom for his glory. Mary—without position, power, or pedigree—is lifted up by grace. Power is more fragile than we think; humility is more potent than we believe.

Third, God fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty. This isn’t a simplistic rich-versus-poor divide; it’s about dependence. Hunger turns us Godward; surplus often turns us inward. Wealth can quietly become our functional savior, promising security it can’t deliver. God meets the needy heart with daily bread and holy strength.

So the question: who organizes your day—your control or God’s arm? The call is humble obedience in a culture of hurry and self. Everything we are and have belongs to the Lord; the kingdom is being straightened out by his active hand. Even our dedication of little Reagan May is a living picture of this reversal—entrusting our greatest treasures to God, and promising together to nurture a life that learns to depend on him. In a season when it’s easy to get distracted, let’s give God the glory, trust his strong arm, and walk the week in surrendered, joyful dependence.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s arm reorders our world. God’s “arm” is scripture’s picture of his personal, unstoppable action. He doesn’t merely advise; he intervenes. When I surrender control, I discover he is already at work, straightening what I cannot. The invitation is to align, not to orchestrate. [39:04]
2. Pride seeks our glory first. At its core, pride prefers my praise over God’s. It hides in our justifications and in the need to “show” others, corroding love from within. God, in love, scatters pride’s plans so he can gather us back to himself. Confession is the doorway into freedom. [42:54]
3. Power proves fragile; humility exalted. Human thrones wobble; God’s kingdom stands. The humble are not invisible to God—they are his chosen place to display strength. Mary’s lifting reminds us that obscurity is no obstacle to grace, and prominence is no proof of favor. Seek low places where God delights to work. [47:21]
4. Dependence feeds the hungry heart. God fills those who know their need and lets false securities disappoint us for our good. Wealth is a tool, not a refuge; when it becomes sanctuary, it leaves us empty. Choose practices that train dependence—prayer, generosity, and patient trust in daily bread. [50:36]
5. Let God organize your day. A life of humble obedience begins with relinquishing the schedule and the outcomes. Ask where God’s arm is already moving, and join him there. Obedience will often feel smaller than ambition but will prove deeper, steadier, and truer. [57:56]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[36:23] - 400 years of silence, great reversal
[39:04] - He has shown strength with his arm
[41:38] - Self-focus versus God’s providence
[42:54] - Scattering the proud of heart
[47:21] - Bringing down the mighty, lifting the humble
[49:09] - The danger of ego in power
[50:36] - Filled hungry, sent rich away empty
[52:04] - Wealth, trust, and subtle idolatry
[54:26] - God’s arm aligns his kingdom
[56:25] - Live to give God the glory
[57:56] - Call to humble obedience
[59:44] - Baby Reagan May: dedication begins
[64:17] - Prayer of blessing for Reagan May

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Luke 1:46–55

Observation questions

Luke 1:51 says, “He has shown strength with his arm,” and the passage lists several reversals (scattering the proud, bringing down the mighty, exalting the humble, filling the hungry, sending the rich away empty). Which of these images stands out to you most when you read the verses, and why? [39:04]
The song links pride to seeking one’s own glory above God. Where do you see examples of that kind of pride in the passage or in everyday life—subtle or obvious? Give one concrete example you recognize. [42:54]
The passage and teaching recall Old Testament actions (Pharaoh humbled, Jericho fallen, Joshua’s victories) as evidence of God’s arm at work. Which Old Testament example mentioned seems most like the kind of reversal God brings today, and how does that shape your reading of Luke 1:51–53? [47:21]
Mary speaks of God filling the hungry and sending the rich away empty. As you read that line, what does “hungry” and “rich” seem to mean in context—literal poverty, spiritual dependence, or both? Point to the verse(s) that shape your view. [50:36]

Interpretation questions

How does the metaphor of God’s “arm” function in Luke 1:51–53 as both a sign of judgment and a sign of mercy? Consider how an arm is used in rescue and in overthrow. [39:04]
What is the core problem named by “the proud” in verse 51—social status, self-centered attitudes, or the habit of making God’s glory secondary—and how should that influence how a Christian evaluates personal ambitions? [42:54]
When the text says God “has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate,” how should a community distinguish between healthy authority/leadership and the kind of power that needs to be overturned? [47:21]
In saying God “fills the hungry with good things,” is the emphasis primarily on physical provision, on formed dependence that turns people to God, or on both? How does the rest of Luke 1:46–55 support that interpretation? [50:36]

Application questions

Pride often hides under “I’ll show them” or “I deserve this.” Where have you recently felt that impulse? What is one concrete act of confession or a changed response you will practice this week to scatter that pride? [42:54]
Name one ambition, title, or status you are chasing. What would humility look like in that area for the next seven days (a specific task you’ll take, a person you’ll serve, or a way you’ll step down)? Try it and report back next meeting. [47:21]
Identify a present need or “mountain” that feels overwhelming. What small, specific step can you take this week to depend on God’s daily provision (e.g., a focused time of prayer each morning, asking others to pray, giving away something to practice non-dependence)? [50:36]
Take one regular part of your schedule or plans that you tend to control tightly. How can you practically “let God organize” that area this week—what will you stop doing, start praying about, or hand over to someone else? [57:56]
Look honestly at your finances or savings. Where might money be functioning as a false refuge? What one deliberate act of generosity or a budgeting change will you make in the next month to re-center trust on God? [52:04]
The church pledges to help raise children in the faith. If the body commits to nurture the next generation, what practical commitment will you make (regular prayers, a short note to the family each month, hosting the child once a quarter, mentoring) to support that promise? [59:44]

Sermon Clips

He has three Great reversals He takes three parts Of our culture And says Not so fast And he makes them Right according to his Will The very first thing He does Is he scatters The proud In the thoughts Of their hearts He scatters The proud Consider what would have Happened in the past They would have Known the story Of in Genesis chapter 6 Of the great flood Where God said This isn't going The way that I want I'm starting again They would have Known the story Of the tower Of Babel Where God's people Began forming up This giant tower To edify And glorify Themselves And God takes Care of that And scatters them [00:43:15] (44 seconds) #GodScattersPride

``All of pride Starts In the heart And at the very Essence of pride As you begin to Cut away the layers And you get down To the foundation Of what really The issue with pride It's this We desire To see Our glory Over God's glory This is the essence Of pride We scrape away All the layers And we get down To this one nugget Which says My glory Is more important Than the glory Of God [00:44:02] (31 seconds) #ChooseGodsGlory

The second thing He has brought down The mighty from their thrones And exalted those Of humble estate Mary would have known The story of God's people In captivity in Egypt Oppressed by Pharaoh She would have known Of the series of plagues That came in the form Of frogs And boils And locusts And all these things In an effort to take Pharaoh And humble him To take the mighty From their thrones And take them down [00:46:59] (34 seconds) #GodHumblesTheMighty

But notice What Mary is singing about She is singing about All those people That she's read about All those people That she knows about In her culture That are edified And lifted up And notice what happens With the arm of God The mighty arm of God And the great reversal He has brought down The mighty from their thrones And remember He has exalted those Of humble estate Remember she's a peasant girl No standing No position No prominence No power And God is saying Look you are going to be Venerated to this place Where you're going to be The mother Of the Messiah God had a plan all along [00:49:59] (39 seconds) #GodChoosesTheHumble

When it doesn't feel like There is any way He's going to provide a hope When it feels like There's absolutely zero chance Of something happening He's going to make a way Where it feels like I just can't fathom How I'm going to get through This Lord And each and every time He does so The strong arm of God Can be depended on For our daily bread The strong arm of God And look back in our lives And see the ways In which he has taken And helped us Through the challenges And difficulties of life [00:51:45] (33 seconds) #GodProvidesAlways

You know in the midst Of this season It's very easy To get busy And chaotic And forget that our God Is absolutely All powerful And almighty And the kingdom of God Is being straightened out Every day By His mighty arm That is active In our world And He's taking that Which is not in alignment With His will And He's making it right Time and time again [00:54:26] (23 seconds) #HisMightyArmAtWork

Think of the number Of people that you know That are so focused On themselves In a way That is unhealthy That is unglorifying To God That is something That leads them astray And we're reminded That He scatters the proud He takes the mighty And brings them down From their thrones And He truly Is the only thing That we can depend upon Because everything We have Everything we are Belongs to the Lord Our God [00:55:10] (28 seconds) #AllBelongsToGod

Isn't this what Mary Is saying in her song? That when we live To give God the glory He takes and turns And exalts us He takes the great reversal In our humbleness And He exalts us To be His children To be His sons And His daughters To give us An impromised inheritance That one day We will dwell In the house of the Lord Forever and ever [00:56:44] (27 seconds) #HumbleExalted

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