What am I magnifying?

Last night we sang "Trust in God" by Elevation Worship

It seems to me that part of it is taken from

Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Looking at this Psalm it can be very familiar. But do we realize that David wrote this Psalm in a cave, a fugitive running from Saul. He had been joined in the cave at Adullam by many other desperate men.

Several parts of this Psalm are memorable 

David may have been physically hiding in a cave, but this Psalm makes it clear that in his heart he was hiding in the Lord.

David knew that Praise was connected to his deliverance.

He continues in

Psalm 34:3
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

When we magnify something we don't actually make the object bigger.

We cannot make God bigger. 

He is Jehovah. 

He is incomparable, unparalleled and matchless.
There are 2 ways we magnify an object in this physical world - 

a microscope and a telescope.

One makes a small thing look bigger than it is.
The other makes a really big thing look as big as it really is. The object doesn't actually get bigger, but our perspective, our view of it, changes.

When we magnify God, it means we see Him as He really is. We draw near to Him so we see Him as He is.

God is large but when we magnify Him, it means we make Him Large in our Lives.

Magnifying God includes Praise and it includes Worship but it can only really happen when we draw really close to Him.

The thing is God doesn't need us to magnify Him. We need to magnify Him for us.

Last night I shared a quote I heard this weekend at the Jesus Image Pastors Conference.

"Why do we so often dwell on the will of Satan more than we do the will of God?"

What we dwell on, focus on, spend time contemplating is what we are magnifying in our lives. It is easy to magnify the cares of this world, our needs, our weaknesses, our duties. It's easy to magnify the problems, and when we do this we stay discouraged, distracted, and defeated. The enemy loves for us to focus on the bad, the hurt, the disappointment because he wants us discouraged, distracted and defeated. We do our best work for the enemy in this state. As a believer the only access the enemy has in my life is what I give him. 

But when we magnify Jesus, when we truly see Him as He truly is, when we cause ourselves to remember how great and good He is, when we dwell on and rest in His strength that He has promised to provide us in our weakness, when we recall by looking back at how faithful He has been and how He can easily take care of whatever need we have now.

When we truly seek Him. He will answer and He will deliver us from our fears.

This is not to say that anxiety, fear, stress or worry won't every come in our lives again.
Of course they will but when they do I know where to dwell. I don't camp out in those feelings or emotions. I can even acknowledge them but then I take them to HIM who has proven faithful.
Philippians 4:8 is not just a cute suggestion, it's a command.

Meditate on These Things

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.

Paul is making it clear, when we refuse to dwell on negativity and intentionally focus on Jesus, God uses it to grow peace in our lives and joy in our circumstances. Turmoil can't abide where peace and joy are growing.

But this can only be done as we focus the eyes of our heart on Christ and His Word. Scripture is clear that we are directed to take control of our thoughts and our imaginations. We are told to take every thought captive to the Lord, to let the mind of Christ dwell in us richly, and not to allow the thoughts of our heart to control us.

II Corinthians 10:5-7 NKJV
Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

This won't happen accidentally. You will do it on purpose.

I cannot, on my own, overcome my fear. But the Lord can. He can fill me with his love, a love that drives out my fear replacing it with His peace that will guard my heart and mind.

I find all of this by dwelling with Him, daily...even moment by moment.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
‭‭I John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.