Author: Paul Beckman, from the Word of Life in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
To Make Great
I recently purchased a bicycle requiring “some” assembly. Unfortunately, the instructions were incomplete. If God had sent me the bicycle, the instructions wouldn’t have been missing. God doesn’t leave us guessing about how to live as his children. One excellent example of this is the Book of Psalms, 150 hymns that connect us and our world to the Lord and his kingdom. They provide a manual of worship and prayer for any circumstance – songs of joy, sadness, anger, wonder, rest, trust, longing, and even desperation.
Above all, the Psalms express and encourage praise for who God is and what he’s done. They give us the true picture of his sovereignty, goodness, power, and love.
In Psalm 34 verse 3, it reminds us of this. It says, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:3)
What does the word “magnify” mean? The Hebrew means to make great. What the Psalmist means is that we should allow the Lord to be great in our own lives, both through worship and by letting him rule over us. In our worship, we are called especially to proclaim God’s name. The name of the Lord represents everything that he is and what he says about himself. When we think of God’s name, we remember and declare all his attributes and his works. We especially call to mind the name of Jesus, and what he accomplished for us in his death and resurrection.
And we do this together: Worship is not just for us as individuals, but for God’s people praising him with one voice. Even the Psalms of intense personal emotion are shared with our brothers and sisters experiencing the same trials and victories we do. In this way, the Lord receives multiplied praises, and we know multiplied blessings.
Let’s keep the Lord’s name in our hearts and minds, and on our lips as we walk with him today.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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