Email devotion for 10/27

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.  Psalm 34:3  

For to him every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” For this reason it is through him that we say the “Amen,” to the glory of God.  2 Corinthians 1:20  

I have read this Psalm before as have most of you. It is a wonderful praise Psalm, attributed to David when he “pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away.” David starts by saying he will bless God and praise him at all times. Then, in verse three, we are invited to magnify the Lord together, praise God together. 

I have never really stopped to think what it means to “magnify the Lord.” I know what magnify means in general. When sewing my mother often used a magnifying lens so she see the little hole and could thread a needle and see what she was mending. In microbiology, we use a microscope to enlarge really small things. With a 100 times magnification, we can see individual bacteria that are invisible otherwise. But God isn’t really small, is He? Why do we need to magnify God? Praising and exalting make sense, but this magnifying is a bit confusing. So, turning to Google for some info. One interpretation is that we magnify God within us. That we turn more of our life and needs over to God. That as we draw closer to God, we correctly see Him as larger than anything we might face in our lives.  

The book of Psalms is a book of songs; many are songs of praise. Songs that are  fun and inspiring to sing; songs that praise God and encourage us to sing together. We also have many hymns written by inspired composers, again songs that are meant to be sung together. It doesn’t matter that a person can’t sing too well, what matters is the intent to praise and honor and exalt God’s name.  

As the song says, “All God’s critters got a place in the choir. Some sing low, some sing higher. Some sing out loud on the telephone wire. And some just clap their hands or paws or anything they got now.” 

Paul writes in 2Corinthians that although people may be yes sometimes and no sometimes, God always fulfills His promises, always says yes. Then through “him,” that is Jesus, we are able to say an Amen to the glory of God. Because we have these promises already present in our lives, we too have a God who says yes to us, and we can say Amen as we praise Him.  

Last verse of the God’s critters song: 

“Everybody here is part of the plan 

We all get to play in the great critter band 

From the eagle in the sky to the whale in the sea 

It’s one great symphony”  

Let us raise and praise and celebrate the name of God together.  

Lord, You are trustworthy, faithful, kind, and generous. Thank you for putting songs into our hearts. We magnify you, Lord! We exalt your name together as we gather to share these Daily Texts across planet Earth. May our promises today evidence your “Yes.” Amen to the Glory of God!