Magnify the Lord
And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord (Luke 1:46 KJV)
The consequences of poor decisions can result in sleepless nights as we worry about our finances, relationships, employment, and personal concerns. We find such concerns overwhelming, leading to mental exhaustion because they seem to magnify themselves. By magnifying, it appears larger and more significant than reality. This magnification can contribute to stress because we perceive concerns as more urgent and pressing than they are. On the other hand, to magnify something is to enhance its significance in order to gain a more precise and more accurate understanding. Often, we use a magnifying glass to enhance our ability to read the fine print. For example, the other day, my wife, and I had dinner at a cozy restaurant, and when the waitress gave me the menu, I quickly realized that I needed to open my smartphone to magnify the menu. Without this tool, my eyes were unable to read the fine print.
Yet, when Mary says, my soul magnifies the Lord, she is not saying that she needs a magnifying glass to see the Lord, but she desires to make God appearance more significant. Earlier, Mary had had an encounter with the angel, Gabriel, who delivered a personal message from God. As she contemplates this message with her cousin Elizabeth, Mary emphasizes, my soul magnifies the Lord. Remember, in the Bible, the word soul refers to the essence of a person. Therefore, the soul is not limited to the physical body but encompasses the mind, emotions, and will. The soul describes the place where your thoughts, feelings, and identity reside. Therefore, Mary is saying that all her thoughts, feelings, and identity magnify the Lord.
In a spiritual sense, to magnify means to enhance God's significance, importance, and greatness. Though, magnify involves acknowledging and exalting God’s attributes, such as His love, power, wisdom, and mercy. So, when one magnifies the Lord, he acknowledges God's importance and gives God all the honor and praise that He deserves.
By magnifying God, we seek to deepen our understanding and reverence for Him, simultaneously, recognizing His infinite nature and role as our creator and sustainer of all things. By magnifying God, we align our thoughts, words, and actions with His will while surrendering ourselves to His guidance. By magnifying God, we surrender our selfish behavior to a behavior that God is first. Like Mary, we seek ways of living that bring Him glory instead of self-glory. To put it differently, when we magnify God, we are acknowledging and giving Him the worthiness that He truly deserves. Therefore, before your day ends, repeat the same words from Mary’s song but repeat the words from your heart, while acknowledging that my soul truly magnifies the Lord.