Mary's prophecy was also based upon her knowledge of God's merciful doing to her forefathers. In Luke 1:54-55 she said, "He has succored Israel His servant to remember mercy, even as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever." God exercised His mercy toward Abraham and toward his seed, including Mary. Mary inherited the blessings of God's dealings with her forefathers.
Verses 46-55 constitute a complete and meaningful prophesying. In her speaking, Mary covered her own experience of God, God's dealing with people in a general way, and God's merciful doing to her forefathers. In the prophesying of this young sister, there are the riches of the knowledge of the Bible, the knowledge of God's dealing with people, and the knowledge of God's merciful doing to her forefathers. After seeing all these high points regarding Mary's prophesying, we surely should be humbled and realize that we need much learning to be able to speak as Mary did.
Sometimes hymns are called in the Lord's table meeting that are inappropriate for that meeting. The purpose of the Lord's table is to remember the Lord. The Lord Jesus said, "This do, as often as you drink it, unto the remembrance of Me" (1 Cor. 11:25). However, some of the hymns called in the Lord's table meeting are not unto the remembrance of the Lord. A hymn may be very good, but it may not fit the nature of the Lord's table. When such a hymn is called, we should not argue but should select a proper hymn to replace it. In this way all the attendants in the meeting will learn how to call the proper hymns.
Furthermore, some of the prayers offered at the Lord's table meeting are not appropriate for that meeting. Therefore, we all need to learn how to speak, call hymns, and pray. Mary could not have uttered her prophesy in Luke 1 without some learning. She might have practiced speaking from day to day at her home in Nazareth. We need to practice our offering of prayers in the Lord's table meeting. We may learn to say, "Lord, we thank You that we are at Your table. On the table the cup is separated from the bread, signifying that Your blood was separated from Your body. Therefore, this table displays Your death to us. Thank You for the cup, and thank You for the bread." Then another brother or sister can continue, "Lord, this cup signifies the covenant which You enacted for us with Your blood." Another may then follow, "Lord, the bread signifies Your physical body which You gave for us on the cross, and it also signifies Your mystical Body, which is the church, including me and all the saints." If three saints would pray in this way in the Lord's table meeting, the meeting would rise to the third heavens.
If hymns are called and prayers are offered that do not fit the Lord's table meeting, it will be difficult to distribute the bread and the wine, even after a considerable time has passed, because the proper atmosphere will not have been built up. On the other hand, if proper hymns are called and proper prayers are offered, the atmosphere will be built up, and the breaking of the bread may take place quite early in the meeting. Sometimes in the meeting a proper hymn is called, but after the singing of the hymn, no prayers are offered. This is because the attendants do not have the capacity to offer praises that match such a hymn. Therefore, we all have much to learn.
Many of us do not realize how short we are of the proper spiritual learning. This is the reason that our meetings are low, stale, empty, and lacking in rich content. We all must learn, so that we may improve our situation. Not many among us, including the elders and the co-workers, have sacrificed enough time and energy to learn the spiritual lessons. The elders and co-workers should reserve more time for spiritual learning. This learning will constitute us with an improved capacity for the meetings, and our meetings will be higher. We all need to learn not only to speak in the meetings, but also to speak something meaningful according to an improved capacity.