#073 "How to Have a Scripture-Soaked Testimony" (Luke 1:49)

In this episode of The Abidible Podcast, host Kate takes you into Luke 1:49 to show how Mary—a young girl from Nazareth—knew God so personally that praise naturally poured out of her. You’ll see how her song wasn’t spontaneous emotion but Scripture-soaked testimony.

Then Kate turns the lens toward you: What’s your testimony? Why do so many believers hesitate to share theirs? And how does Mary give us a simple framework to do it with humility and joy?

You’ll learn Kate’s M.A.D.E.R. acronym (Magnify, Acknowledge, Declare, Exalt, Remember) and how this pattern in Mary’s song can help you write your own story of God’s faithfulness. To make it easy, Kate includes a free PDF testimony-writing guide so you can sit with God, reflect on His goodness, and craft your own “song of praise” this Advent season.

If you want to know God like Mary did—and learn to tell your story in a way that points entirely to Him—this episode will bless you.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Names Matter, Stories Matter;
• 3:35 Mary Introduces Her God;
• 6:40 God Amid Many False Gods;
• 7:24 Three Themes: Mighty, Great, Holy;
• 12:45 Great Things God Has Done;
• 16:12 Holy Is His Name;
• 22:55 What Is A Testimony;
• 28:06 Obstacles: Forgetfulness, Shame, Fear;
• 35:21 Called And Empowered To Share;
• 38:48 Study Invitation And Tools;
• 41:00 MATER Testimony Framework;

Transcript

Kate: 0:00

Hey guys, this is Kate from Abidible.com, and you're listening to the Abidible Podcast. I'm just a regular wife and mom who's had my life transformed by learning to study the Bible on my own. If I can, you can. On this show, I help you know and love God more by abiding in Him through His Word yourself. Have you ever had a panicked deer in the headlights moment like this? Someone you know is approaching you as you're already in conversation with someone else. And you know the person on approach doesn't know the person you're talking to. The closer they get, the more you realize that you're gonna have to introduce them to one another. But the problem is, even though you've been standing there talking to this person for over 10 minutes, their name has completely slipped your mind. And now, despite having had this great conversation for the past little while, they're gonna know that you actually don't care enough about them to remember their name. It's the worst. And it's made worse if you're anything like me, terrible with names. I've done this so many times. I've even blanked on the spot with people's names who are really important to me. Of course I know their names. It makes me sweat just thinking about it. Why? Because names are important, aren't they? And so are introductions. Instead of me flubbing a name, imagine me instead getting an introduction right, like this. Jason, I want you to meet Meg. She's new here at the church and has been serving on the greeting team with us for the last four weeks. She's a nurse at City General in the Children's Emergency Department, and she's engaged in getting married in Alaska next summer. She's got the most adorable little miniature dachshund named Tank. Meg, this is my husband, Jason. How do you think that kind of introduction would make Meg feel? Pretty loved and seen, right? Because names are important, yes, but so is story. You won't really know who someone is until you know their story. And you can't share someone's story unless you know them. And you can't really know them unless you spend time with them. In our verse today, Mary is going to introduce us to a friend of hers. She knows his name, yes, but she also knows his story. How? Because she spent a lot of time with him, listening to stories about him, singing songs of praise before him, memorizing his words and writing them on her heart. And this feels like an appropriate time to just offer gratitude to the generational remnant in Israel who remained faithful century after century. Passing on the truth of God through oral tradition and painstakingly long and detailed copywork, the treasured law and word of God was not lost because there were always faithful ones, guarding it and passing it on to the next generation, just as God had commanded. This fruit that we see in Mary's life points to the faithfulness of many who came before her. Their love for God prompted them to safekeep everything that he had said to them. And now, because of that, it sits in our possession. How will we pass it on? We're going to do something really special today to answer that question. We're going to use Mary's song as a template for learning to write our own, for learning to share our own testimonies. I'm so excited to do this with you guys today. So here we are again in Luke 149, which says, For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Now imagine that what we're doing here is essentially walking up to Mary, this beautiful young girl who is singing to someone, and we're drawn toward her and toward her words, because somehow we just know that they matter. We feel compelled to try and figure out what's going on. As she turns to us and sees us coming, she stops, tilts her head, and smiles. Kate, have you met my Lord? God, my savior, the mighty one. He has done great things for me. His name is holy. Don't you see what's happening here? Mary is introducing us to her God because she knows him personally. She's already, just in these first four verses of her song, given us five names for God: Lord, God my Savior, the God who sees, mighty one, and holy. Now I'm guessing on some of these, but the Hebrew words Mary may have used, unless she was speaking Aramaic when she sang, in which case I've got nothing for you. But she would have known these Hebrew names for God from the Torah, for Lord, Yahweh, but it would have been replaced respectfully with just the letters YHWH, and she probably would have said Adonai. For God, my Savior, Moshiach, or Yeshua T. For the God who sees, El Ro'i, for mighty God, El Shaddai, and for holy God, El Hakadosh. Now, I might be saying those wrong, but she knew in just the first four verses, all those different names for God that she's presenting to us. In our jars of clay study, we did a little bit of background research on the buffet of gods present in the first century A.D. in this region. In the intro to this study, we talked about the six eras Israel had passed through during the intertestamental period. The Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, and Romans had all brought with them a plurality of gods. Prior to that, Israel was living in the land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt. Everywhere God's people have been, there have always been a litany of other quote options and the temptation to mix in and bow down to false gods. So, what Mary is doing here is identifying clearly, specifically, repeatedly, and in different ways, that she is only referring to one God, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. To do that, she's drawing God's names from the Torah that she seems to know so very well. Today, our cross-references are really important. They demonstrate that as Mary worships God for what he is going to do through her for all peoples, she bases her praise on the foundation of praise that her people have been singing for centuries. Let's take a look at some of them together. But first, real quick, if you're a big fan of the Abidible Podcast, please check out the link in the show description to learn more about partnering with us by buying us a coffee. So today we're going to split our cross-references into three sections based on this one verse. Cross-references matter so much, like I said today, because we're literally going to be able to go back to places in the Old Testament that very likely inspired Mary's words. We'll look at the idea that one, God is mighty, two, God has done great things, and three, God is holy. First, where might Mary have learned or heard about God's might and his power? How does this teenage girl from Nazareth in Galilee know that God is the mighty one? Oh, I don't know. Perhaps she's heard a story or two like he parted the Red Sea, led his people safely through, and drowned the Egyptian army that pursued them. He made the walls of Jericho fall flat by the sound of a shout and the blast of trumpets. He gave young David strength to fell the giant Goliath with a single stone. He struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night to protect Jerusalem, and he shut the mouths of lions to preserve Daniel's life in their den. Or maybe she just remembered from Torah that when God appeared to Abraham in Genesis 17:1, that he introduced himself in this way: I am God Almighty. This is El Shaddai, meaning most powerful. It's also likely that she had heard the songs her great-great-great-great-grandfather sang, particularly this one, number 24, King of Glory, in which David said, Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, mighty in battle. She likely knew that God also introduced and described himself to Isaiah, therefore the Lord declares, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel. And it is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save. That's Isaiah 1, 24, and Isaiah 63:1. And finally, at some point, maybe she'd heard someone quote Jeremiah, saying, There is none like you, O Lord, you are great, and your name is great in might. That's Jeremiah 10, 6. Mary knew God was mighty because she remembered all the evidence he had given for that might. And now she picks up the torch of praise, saying, For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Just how much might does it take to place the Son of God in the womb of a virgin? That is a profound miracle that demonstrates God's strength and power that we can't overlook just because we've heard the story a thousand times. Next, Mary says that God has done great things for her. Again, Mary is a virgin and she's singing with the long-awaited Messiah now residing in her womb. Matthew Henry says a great thing indeed that a virgin should conceive. A great thing indeed that Messiah, who had been so long promised and so long expected, should now at length be born. Talk about great things. Of course, song pours out of Mary. But again, she didn't think these words up on her own. As always, Mary draws from the long-standing tradition of her people. What stories had she heard about the great things God had done? Here are just maybe a few. He called Abraham from obscurity and made him the father of a nation as numerous as the stars. He provided manna from heaven and water from a rock for his people in the wilderness. He gave Hannah a son after years of barrenness and used that son, Samuel, to guide a nation and its kings. He raised up Esther to deliver her people from destruction through courage and faith. He restored Job's fortunes and faith after suffering and loss beyond imagination. What words had she been read to from the Torah that might have inspired her to use the same phrase, God has done great things? Here are just two from the Psalms. This is Psalm 71, 19, B, You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? And this is Psalm 126, 2 to 3. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us. We are glad. Of course, God has done a great thing for Mary. He has always been in the business of doing incredible things. I love how John Trapp phrased it. No small things can fall from so great a hand. He gives like himself. Listen to how Paul put it in the New Testament in Ephesians. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, God indeed is the doer of great things. Finally, in verse 49, Mary says, Holy is his name. Where do you suspect she got that idea? Oh, just a few examples of stories she would have been familiar with. God descended in fire on Mount Sinai, and the mountain trembled at his presence. He filled the tabernacle with his glory so that even Moses could not enter. He judged King Saul for his disobedience, removed his spirit from him, and anointed another in his place. He required priests to purify themselves before serving in his presence. He appeared to Isaiah in the temple, where the prophet cried, Woe is me, at the sight of his holiness. And from Scripture itself, where would Mary have specifically been introduced to the idea that God is holy? Pay careful attention to how many times God's holiness is tied to his very name in these verses. So this is Exodus 15, 11. Who is like you, O Lord among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders. Here is Hannah's song from 1 Samuel 2:2. There is none holy like the Lord. There is none besides you, there is no rock like our God. Here's some from Psalm 99, verse 3 and verse 9. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy. Psalm 111:9, he sent redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. Isaiah 6, 3 tells a picture of what Isaiah saw in his vision, and one called to another, this is in the throne room of heaven. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And then think about this next one in light of what God is doing for Mary and through her son for all of mankind. So this is Isaiah 57, 15. For thus says the one who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Gosh, that verse. He is holy, he dwells in the holy place, and yet he also dwells in those who have contrite and lowly spirit. He is amazing. And finally, though it was written by John after Mary had probably already died, it's based on the Old Testament view and picture of God as holy. It says in Revelation 4, 8, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And then in Revelation 15, 4, we read, Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Matthew Henry sums it all up beautifully by saying, Glorious things may be expected from Him that is both mighty and holy, who can do everything and will do everything well and for the best. Mary's testimony is in her song. What is a testimony? How do you share one? Does everyone have a testimony? Are some testimonies better than others? Should you share yours? If so, what keeps you from sharing it? I will speak for myself, and you can think about your own answer while you listen. I think a testimony is simply the story of God's goodness in your life, as well as the story of God's goodness throughout the generations. I do think everyone has a testimony, and no two testimonies are identical. And no one testimony is better than another. We might be tempted to believe that we all need a dramatic testimony like the Apostle Paul's or like Matthew's or like the thief on the cross. But testimonies of those who are quietly faithful to God, like Hannah or Jonathan or Samuel, are just as impactful. Walking faithfully with the Lord still requires an abundance of his kindness, mercy, and grace. And then there are the testimonies which kind of cross over into both dramatic and what some might call boring territory. For example, David. For all of David's early life, he was steadfast in his faithfulness to the Lord. But then his life turned into a dumpster fire. The reason God called David a man after his own heart was because David returned to God again and again from both the mountaintop and the valley. And there's power in that kind of testimony too. I do genuinely believe that every testimony has power. So, why don't we share more often? I'm gonna suggest and offer three possibilities that you might resonate with. Perhaps you'll be able to think of others. First, I think that we don't share because we're forgetful, which leads to ungratefulness. Spurgeon says, brothers, there are some of you who cannot even sing over a mercy when it is born. But here is a woman, Mary, who sings over an unborn mercy. Mary rejoiced in God before Jesus was ever born. If we do not frequently remind ourselves of what we were and what we were facing before God saved us, the joy of our salvation can grow very dull. By this I mean we really need to remember who we were before Christ rescued us. I know full well who that person was. And I still see her rear her ugly, sinful head sometimes. When I sin, I should be grateful to God not only for his forgiveness in that moment, but also for the conviction that even comes from the Holy Spirit about that sin. And I should use that sin as a red flag reminder of exactly who I would be if Christ was not with me and in me, sanctifying me to be more like him. When we outgrow the practice of praise, meaning we forget to thank him for every single thing he does for us and even what he's done for us in the past. It is easy to believe the lie that we don't have much to offer in terms of testimony. But again, think of Mary. She praised God for a miracle that hadn't even happened yet. She sang before she delivered the one who had come to deliver her. And she'd been singing and praising God and walking with him before this miracle. And I think if this miracle had never even happened, she would have continued to praise him and share her story and the story of God's goodness. What's the second reason that we don't share our testimony? I think that we let shame do the talking. If we are afraid to tell people who we used to be before God redeemed us, then we strip the gospel of the power it holds. We end up worshiping ourselves, pridefully trying to live only in our new identity, not wanting anyone to find out or to think poorly of us about who we used to be and what we used to be capable of. I feel this temptation too. But when we share with others who we used to be and what we used to be about, we live out exactly what we are meant to live out, that we make of ourselves less and less. He must increase and I must decrease, like we talked about last week. I'm not saying that you have to share every detail of your story with everyone you meet. The Holy Spirit will give you discernment there. But don't hold the darkness of your past inside. Otherwise, I fear it means that the darkness still holds power over you. There was a time for me when in counseling, my pastor said, someday you will be able to share this part of your testimony without it holding so much power over you. You'll be able to slap it out in the middle of the floor, out in the light, and not be afraid. He was right. The more time I spend with God, the more I've been able to share with people, when the Holy Spirit has led me to do so, different parts of who I used to be. You guys have heard me do a lot of that here on the podcast. So don't let shame stop you from sharing, friend. Remember what Paul said in Ephesians 2, 1 through 3. This is who we all were before Christ. You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But, God, we have to remind ourselves of the good news that God gives us in places like 1 Corinthians 6.11. And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. We also have verses like Isaiah 43, 25, I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Similarly, Hebrews 8.12 says, For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. If we know the gospel, we are able to share without shame because we know that we have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am no longer that person. Our transgressions, my transgressions, have been blotted out, and God has promised to no longer remember our sins. So why bring them up then, you might ask? If God remembers my sin no more, why should I dig all of that history back up? The answer is simple. Because the transformation God has worked in you makes much of the God that the world desperately needs to see. There are others out there right now dead in their sin, or even other Christians still battling against sin that has them in bondage. There is power in the testimony of the saints, as we see in Revelation 12, 11. So don't be ashamed. Third, I think we sometimes fear men more than we fear God. We're afraid of people and what they will think of us. If I tell my neighbor or co-worker or cousin who God is and what he's done for me, well, what if they reject me? What if they think less of me? What if they get angry and confront me? What if they ask me questions I can't answer? I think all of those fears are things we've all pondered at one time or another. I know that you want to fear God more than man. I do too. But fear of man is a tough stronghold for so many of us. What do we do? Shrink back and stay silent? We must not. The goodness of God has to be shared. We are in fact commanded to share it. Matthew 10, 32 says, Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. And then you know the other part of it. If we don't acknowledge him, he will not acknowledge us. So we are not asked, thankfully, to share about God in our own power. Here's some encouraging promises, like Acts 1, 8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Friend, when Jesus healed the man possessed by demons in Mark 5, the man begged to go with him. But Jesus said no. He said, Go home and tell your friends how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you. And there it is, that's it. That's the calling. Go tell what the Lord has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8 echoes this same command: oh, give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. From the Old Testament to the new, God has always wanted his people to testify, to remember, to proclaim, and to make his mercy known. Your testimony is not about putting your life on display. It's about putting his mercy on display. It's about lifting your eyes to heaven and saying, Look what God has done for me. Mary did this in her song. She magnified the Lord. She rejoiced in God her Savior. She told the story of what God had done in her life and what he was about to do for all future generations. That's what we are called to do. Whether your story feels small and steady or dramatic and wild, the power of your testimony does not lie in what you've done. It lies in what he's done for you. So don't hold it in. Don't let fear or shame or forgetfulness silence the story God has written in your life. Someone needs to hear it. Someone's faith depends on it. And when you speak of what God has done, you're not just retelling history, you're joining the song of every redeemed heart that has ever said, The Lord has done great things for me, and holy is his name. So now the question is: how do I share my testimony? What do I say? Let's look to Mary for help with this one. We'll be right back after this message. So I know that some of you are listening and thinking, I'd love to dig into this study, but I just don't have the time, or I'm not sure I could really study it verse by verse. I totally get that. Honestly, that's why I created the Mary Song study so that you can experience this passage for yourself at your own pace without feeling overwhelmed. As I'm studying it myself, you guys are seeing I am completely blown away at how grounded Mary was in God's Word. Her praise didn't just come from emotion, it came from knowing Scripture. And this study will help you see for yourself just how Mary's song connects to the promises of God and how her trust and worship were shaped by what she knew from Scripture. We give you all the tools to dig into the word for yourself, even if you've never done a study like this before. For just $10 digital or 20 hard copy, you'll get the study plus links to help you get started studying in this way. It is perfect, in my opinion, for slowing down this advent and letting your heart actually prepare to worship. If you want to walk through this song with me and let your heart magnify the Lord this Christmas, the link to grab your study is in the show notes. And now back to the show. All right, let's look at Mary's song and pull out a template for sharing our testimony. What we see, as we discussed last week, is that Mary puts herself in the background. As we look at her, we see that she's actually pointing us to look away from her and to God. Mary's song isn't just poetic, it's deeply theological. It gives us a pattern for how to speak of what God has done in our lives while keeping him at the center. That's the goal of any testimony to make much of the one who is worthy of all praise. How does Mary do that? I'm going to give you an acronym, Mater. M A D E R. Not like Tom Mater from CARS. Although that would be cute, too. Mater. She magnifies. Magnifies M, acknowledges A, declares D, exalts E, and remembers R. Let's look at each one more closely. First, she magnifies the Lord. We see this specifically in verses 46 to 47. Mary begins with worship, making God the focus. My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. She praises who God is before describing what he's done. Second, she acknowledges the personal grace that she's been given. We see an example of this in verse 48. She humbly recognizes God's mercy in her own life. He has looked on the humble estate of his servant. Testimony begins with awe that God saw me where I was, and it's not about boasting, but talking with gratitude for where he's brought you. Third, she declares God's power in character, like we see in verses 49 to 50. She names his attributes: the Lord, God my Savior, He who is mighty, he who has looked upon me, he who has done great things, holy is his name. She recalls his mercy across generations and grounds her story in his faithfulness and all of who he is. Fourth, she exalts God's justice and pattern of reversal. We see this in verses 51 to 53. Mary marvels at how God overturns human pride and uplifts the humble. Her testimony connects her personal story to God's redemptive patterns for all people. And finally, fifth, she remembers God's covenant faithfulness. This is the R. We see this in verses 54 to 55. She ends by remembering his promises, tying her story into God's larger story. True testimony always points back to God's ongoing work and how his word is fulfilled. So using Mary's framework, you can write your own song or psalm of praise. One, magnify. Again, begin with worship. Who is God to you? What attribute of his do you want to highlight? Two, acknowledge, humbly recognize how God has met you in your low estate. Three, declare, tell what God has done. Specifically, how has his power and mercy shown up in your life? Four, exalt, show how God's ways reverse worldly thinking, how he redeemed what was broken, humbled pride, or lifted up weakness. And five, remember, anchor your story in Scripture and God's promises, showing that he's faithful across generations. That's Mater, M-A-D-E-R. Now, I know it's one thing to hear me say this and give Mary's song as a template, but it's probably important for you to have this in front of you, right? Like in a free PDF. Well, Merry Christmas. I made one for you. And I'm giving it away at the link in the episode description. Guys, I genuinely encourage you to take the time to do this at some point during Advent. And it can also be a repeated practice of yours, by the way, in different seasons for the new year, at the end of a year. Maybe you could do this over and over again. Write psalms or songs of praise. Because God is going to do a lot more in your life than he's already done right now. He's always at work. So I am positive that this practice, this idea of writing a song will bless you. And I'm even more positive that it will bless God. Listen, the story of Mary is ultimately the story of Jesus. When the angels appeared to the shepherds that night, they called his birth good news of great joy for all people. That's the gospel. And Mary's song in Luke 1 is one of the very first gospel proclamations that we have in the New Testament. It's not a sermon from a pulpit, but a song from a young woman whose heart overflowed with awe that her Savior had come. And what exactly is this good news? The Bible defines it clearly in 1 Corinthians 15, 3 through 4, John 3.16, and Romans 5.8, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day, all so that those who believe in him might have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the good news Mary's son would one day accomplish. And it's the same good news that still changes hearts today. And what amazes me, but maybe not, but maybe yes, is that people are still hungry for it again. Sometimes it feels like people are so far from God, but they are hungry for him. In 2024, Bible sales actually rose by more than 20%. And I'm seeing that trend continue in 2025. The word of God continues to be translated into thousands of languages. People around the world are rediscovering hope. And it's through this same story that Mary sang about. So how can we possibly keep that kind of news to ourselves? Mary didn't. She opened her mouth and sang about the mighty things God had done, not just for her, but for all people. Her testimony was rooted in Scripture, dripping with gratitude and bursting with humility and awe. And we're called to do the same. You and I may not sing our song in poetic Hebrew meter. Trust me, you wouldn't want me to even try. You guys know me well enough to know that that's something I'd really like to do. But gosh, I mean, in Hebrew, I don't know why that's making me laugh so hard. But anyway, you don't have to do it in poetic Hebrew meter, but every believer has a song, a song of God's mercy, strength, and holiness at work in each of our lives. Again, maybe you're thinking, but my story isn't that special. Oh friend, but it is. And here's why, because this is our big idea. Your story is special because your story is really his story in you. Maybe you think I wouldn't even know where to start. That's okay. The same God who helped Mary magnify him through her words will help you too. How about a fun few examples to help you on your way? What if we imagined what a few people in our Bible might have sung about God? Let's take a few minutes to listen to the songs that they could have sung. This is not scripture, let me clarify. And as we do, we're gonna see how our same God has been writing his melody of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. So here's a song Joseph could have sung. My soul magnifies the Lord, for he was with me in the pit and in the prison. He turned my brother's betrayal into his saving plan. He lifted me from the dungeon to Pharaoh's right hand. He taught me that what men meant for evil, he meant for good. He made famine the stage for his faithfulness and forgiveness the song of my heart. He has remembered his promises to my fathers and preserved his people through mercy and might. Blessed be the Lord who rules every twist in the story. How about Elijah? What would he sing? Maybe something like this. He fed me by ravens, sustained me by a widow's hand, and answered by fire to prove he alone is God. He saw me in despair and whispered in the still small voice. He strengthens the weary prophet and lifts the faint-hearted. His words burn brighter than any altar flame. He keeps his covenant with his people and carries his servants home in glory. I love these. This is so fun. How about Ruth? Let's do Ruth. She might have sang, My heart rejoices in the Lord, for he did not forget the foreigner. He looked upon the widow in her humble estate and drew me beneath his wings of refuge. He turned my mourning into joy, my gleaning into inheritance, my emptiness into fullness through his kindness. He has shown steadfast love to the living and the dead, and through my son, he has kept his promise to Israel. I have two more. Should I do them both? Matthew and Paul. I gotta do them both. Okay, Matthew, the tax collector, would have maybe sang something like this: My soul magnifies the Lord, for he saw me at the tax booth and called my name. He did not despise my sin or status, but made me a witness to his mercy. He feasted with sinners and so sat me among his friends. He turned my record of debt into a record of grace. The proud resist him, but the repentant rejoice. He has fulfilled all righteousness and remembered his promise to save his people from their sins. And our buddy old pal, gosh, we love doing Jarzaclay, didn't we? I was just talking to Beverly this morning or yesterday, and she was saying how much she loves Paul now, and I fully agree. And we're gonna feel like that after, I felt like that after studying Moses and God is one, too. You just get to love, love, love these characters. And I feel this way about Mary already. But anyway, our buddy Paul, he could have sang, My spirit rejoices in Christ Jesus, for he found me on the road of rebellion. I was breathing threats, yet he breathed life into my soul. He struck me blind, that I might truly see. He has shown me that his grace is sufficient, his strength made perfect in weakness. Once I counted gain, I now count as loss, for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ my Lord. He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion. To him be glory forever and ever. Aren't those beautiful? I just feel like give yourself grace, maybe do it with a pencil. Allow yourself to have multiple iterations. Does not have to sound perfect or beautiful or rhyme, but just praise him, right? Because every one of these stories, every life, every song, yours included, magnifies the same truth that Mary declared. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Okay, so it's your turn. Don't forget about that Mary's song testimony template that you can use to help you write your own song of praise, your own Magnificat, we could say. You'll find it again, remember, and linked in the show notes. Have fun with it. Bless the Lord with all your soul, my friend. Maybe you'll write it in your journal. Maybe you'll share it on social media or read it aloud around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. However, you do it, let your words point to the Savior who has done great things for you. Because, friend, people need this news. Your friends, your family, your coworkers, they need to hear of the God who rescues, redeems, and still reigns. Mary's story became a song that echoed across generations. Yours can too, across the generations of your family and your community. Remember, no small things can fall from so great a hand. He gives like himself. And he wants to give to others through the life he's given to you. So let's magnify him together in simple prayer. God, you are mighty. You have done great things. Holy is your name. Help me to proclaim it. Amen. And that's it for this episode. If you know someone who would be blessed by what you just heard, please share the Abidible podcast with them. Keep spreading the word so we can make much of the word. Drop us a review. Tell us what you love and what you're learning. Check out the link to learn more about partnering with us by buying us a coffee one time, by joining our Women's Abidible Plus membership community for $10 a month, or by becoming a monthly supporter. For those of you following along in your workbook, go ahead and begin working on our next verse, Luke 1.50, on pages 34 to 37 in your study workbook. You can also complete the recap section on pages 30 to 31. Ideally, you would have these sections done before you listen to the next episode, number 74. In this episode, we will look at Luke 150, as I said, which reads, And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. We are going to get to do a deep dive on both God's mercy and what it means to fear him, which is hilarious because the template that I use for writing my episodes still had some text from Our God is One that carried over here onto the page. And right here in this section, it said, We're going to see what it means to fear God, serving him and swearing by his name alone. Because that was from our study of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 6.13, in fact. See? Mary knew scripture. Deuteronomy 6.13 says, It is the Lord your God you shall fear. And here she's talking about fearing him. That was the generation of Moses as he passed it off to the generation of Joshua. And around 1400 years later, Mary carries the same message forward to us, to our generation. We're also going to see how this is the pivot point in Mary's song, where she goes from personal praise and personal testimony to more of a public role that she will now assume as the mother of the Messiah. In total alignment with his future mission to the nations, Mary now turns outward to all people. I am really looking forward to learning alongside you next week. I've already prayed for us, so let's just close with our memory work. I'm going to repeat Luke 149 five times. Say it out loud with me or quietly to yourself. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1 49. Remember, you are able to abide in the Bible. We'll see you next time. Until then, let's abide.