King David didn’t always live like a King. He experienced two seasons of homelessness, hunger, poverty, and fleeing from the worst intentions of his mentor, King Saul, and his own son, Absalom. In his amazing Psalm 34, David laid out his fears, oppression, troubles, and broken heart. He also revealed his secret weapon to overcome – to magnify the Lord not his troubles!
David didn’t pretend everything was great, but he moved past lamenting to lavishing praise on the Lord – at all times. He said in Psalm 34:3, “Magnify the LORD with me.” The Hebrew word for magnify means “increase in size, importance, or significance.” So we need to downsize our troubles and right size our God! If we linger too long in lamentation, we make our problems greater than God!
This is not “positive thinking” which I found impossible during my Stage IV cancer battle with the setbacks and bad news. They had just predicted I had “days to live” when I plummeted into despair, feeling alone and abandoned by God. Yet He gave me a glimpse of His power and might by directing my attention to my hand. If He could create the incredible complexity of a human hand, and eyes, and a vast universe of stars, He could certainly knock the cancer out of me. Call me, victor, not victim.
So I began magnifying and praising Him on my darkest day. It’s not like I made Him big, He already was! He was in full control, and I could relax. I was in good hands no matter what happened! My depression was replaced with sweet peace and even joy. You too, my friend, are in His good grip right now. As David said, “Magnify the Lord with me – at all times”!
More here on the peace and joy of receiving Jesus as Savior.
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