I have a confession and an apology to make to all my former teachers. I am so sorry I wrote such small letters! I was the child who wrote so small that my teachers could hardly read my assignments without a magnifying glass. I was perplexed when they insisted that I rewrite everything using larger manuscript letters. Now, as a proud owner of reading glasses, the reason for the redo is profoundly simple: You can't grade what you can't see!
Magnification removes the guesswork. It brings clarity and understanding. Whether reading a book, driving your car, or simply taking in your surroundings, magnification helps you see things more clearly and understand what you are looking at.
Psalm 69:30
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
The psalmist declared, even in the midst of his distress and depression, that he would magnify the Lord. He wasn't making God bigger, for God cannot become any greater than He already is. Rather, he was choosing to see God in His proper proportion in comparison to his problems.
When we see God clearly, our circumstances begin to fall into perspective. Our problems may not disappear, but they no longer have to dominate our vision. The greater our understanding of who God is, the less overwhelming our circumstances become.
Notice, thanksgiving is the instrument the psalmist used to magnify God!
Being thankful for what God has done, for who He is, and for the promises He has made enlarges our understanding and appreciation of Him. Thanksgiving redirects our attention from the size of our problems to the greatness of our God.
We use microscopes to make small things appear larger. We use telescopes to bring distant objects into clearer view. And we use thanksgiving to bring the greatness, goodness, and faithfulness of God into sharper focus in every circumstance.
So, count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done!
And as you do, you will discover something wonderful: The more you magnify God through thanksgiving, the smaller your problems become in the shadow of His greatness.
With Gratitude, Pastor Jesse
