When Elizabeth saw her relative Mary, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, John the Baptizer jumped in her womb, and Elizabeth spoke a blessing over Mary. Mary responded with a spontaneous song of praise to the Lord now known as the Magnificat. In this song, Mary celebrates God’s mercy throughout the generations as He exalts the humble and hungry and sends away the proud and rich. She notes that God has honored His commitment to Abraham that from his offspring, not only would the nation of Israel be blessed but that all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1–3).

This song has both theme and language like the song Hannah had sung hundreds of years earlier (1 Samuel 2:1–10).

Hannah had come from a village in the hill country of Ephraim a few miles north of Jerusalem and, like Elizabeth, had been childless for years. Like Mary and Elizabeth, she had felt the brunt of social ostracism. But God announced to her that she would give birth to Samuel, the prophet of Israel who anointed David as king.

It is interesting to note that Hannah’s son, Samuel, anointed and announced the first King David as ruler over Israel. Elizabeth’s son, John the Baptizer, would baptize Jesus and announce Jesus as the Messiah, from the kingly lineage of David.

When was the last time that you broke out in spontaneous praise to God in song for His mercy and faithfulness? Why not try it now?