Magnify the Lord, Putting the Emphasis on God!

Psalm 34:1-3
Magnify the Lord, Putting the Emphasis on God!
Retired Pastor Lee Hemen

What do a telescope, a microscope, and magnifying glass all have in common? They all make things bigger so you can see them better! For some people it doesn’t matter what they use they just can’t seem to get God into focus for their lives. Sadly, we live in a day and age where YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat or Discord are the main ways a lot of young people and others get their information, is it any wonder our attention spans are about the same as a squirrel’s?

This is why I am glad Vacation Bible School is focusing children on God. It’s a time for them to come and have fun while learning Biblical truths about discovering and magnifying God in their lives. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary “This song of praise is attributed to David when he escaped from Abimelech by feigning insanity (1 Samual 21:11). In the psalm David called on the congregation to praise the Lord for their salvation. And after affirming that God is good to those who trust Him, he instructed the people on how to live a long life.” In these three verses David gives us three ways to magnify the Lord by putting the emphasis on God. Let’s discover what he says.

READ: 34:1-3

One of my favorite memories was sitting in our backyard with my father, looking at the stars, planets, and the moon through a telescope I got for Christmas. We would go out on cold clear nights and focus the telescope of far away things. It was amazing and it was a special time with my father. Sometimes, folks can feel like God does care for them, but what we need to do is…

I. Magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. (Psalms 34:1 NIV)

1. David had been harassed, sought after, and even had to feign being insane so that his enemies would not kill him! Can you imagine living your life like that? Now I know there are those who try and get attention by thinking everyone is out to get them, but we understand that often they are only seeking attention. David was trying to get sympathy in order to get attention. He wanted to live another day on the run! Now he could have sat in a cave somewhere and had a real pity party about how he thought that God didn’t care, that if God were real, He would save him from his enemies, or that God needed to prove Himself to David personally by coming and speaking to him right now, right where he was. But notice David didn’t do that. Instead, he knew who was trying to kill him and why, and instead of being all sorrowful, he wanted to bring God closer. How did he do that? I’m glad you asked. He did it by extoling the Lord! Some translate this word as “bless”, the idea here is one of focusing on blessing God. Giving Him our praise! In other words, giving God His due because of who He is in our lives. 

Sometimes we can become so self-focused on our hurt, our pain, our circumstances that we forget just to thank God for Him! My father was big on those three little words of please, thank you, and you’re welcome. Why? Because it was the proper thing to do, but more importantly it told the person it was directed at just how you appreciated what they did! The proper thing to do in our lives is to remember God and bless Him with our lips! We need to magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!

EXAMPLE: Remember that old chorus that went: “Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify the Lord and worship Him!” It was a reminder for the singer to forget about themselves and focus on the Lord. Later, David would sing, “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalms 34:6 NIV) and that “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18 NIV) God is closest, is magnified in our lives when we forget about ourselves and magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!

I remember the first time I looked through a microscope at a droplet of pond water. It was amazing! All of those little creatures and critters living in just a drop of water! It was both frightening and amazing. 

Sometimes, we can forget that God is always with us because we focus only on the big things, when we should…

II. Magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!

I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. (Psalms 34:2 NIV)

1. I liked an old TV show called the Big Bang Theory. One of the characters is an engineering nerd named Howard Wolowitz played by Simon Helberg. He is Jewish in real life and he played a Jewish mama’s boy in the show. One time when they were talking about their friend Sheldon complaining all of the time, Wolowitz states, “Clearly you haven’t met my people.” Some folks are like that; they’re always negative all the time. Including with their relationship with the Lord. Have you ever met someone like that, do you have someone like that in your life, or are you like that? Sometimes we forget just how amazing God is in our lives because we forget about the small things He does for us daily. It takes the focus off of ourselves, our problems, and squarely thanks God for even the smallest of things that He continually does! Remember how the Israelites complained to Moses about God rescuing them, taking them into the desert, and only giving them manna and quail to eat? Notice here that for David it was a concerted effort on his part not to sit and complain. Instead, he writes, “I will glory in the Lord”! It’s a conscious decision on his part to decide to give God glory! God had not only kept him safe from Saul’s spies, from Saul himself, but also the Philistines that he pretended to be insane to escape their wrath! David needed to remind himself and others that God had done those things, but He had also fed them, kept them safe, and given them shelter daily. So, he continued by saying, “let the afflicted hear and rejoice”! Let his men, those around him, and those throughout Israel hear and rejoice! Was he afflicted? Yes! Were the Israelites themselves afflicted? Yes! Were his followers afflicted? Yes! But just focusing on your affliction makes one ignore even the small things God does for us daily. We are reminded to magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!

EXAMPLE: When I would do marriage or couples counseling, I would always tell the couples that in their lives together, they should focus on the small things that they can do for one another. Vacuuming, doing the dishes, making the bed, leaving a love note, picking up clothes, or even saying, “I love you” once in a while. I’ve known parents who spoil their children by getting them everything they want, thinking that this is showing their child that they love them. Only to lose them later. As parents, we need to focus on the little things like, brushing your teeth, making your bed, taking a shower regularly. Why? Because it prepares them for life. The big things in life often come from the little things. We are reminded to magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!

Several of the few treasures I usually cared with me in my pockets as I went exploring around the orchards, woods, and fields where I lived were a small film canister of wooden matches, a tiny compass, and a magnifying glass. Flowers, bugs - yes including ants – and other things became fascinating when I made them bigger with that magnifying glass. Sometimes, we can forget just how wonderful the Lord is because we forget to…

III. Magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. (Psalms 34:3 NIV)

1. There is something special about when loving families get together to celebrate something, isn’t there? This is one reason I like thanksgiving. Sure, there’s the food, the pie, but more importantly there is your family. Oh, I know that not all families get along, but when they do, there is something truly special about a gathering. Pacific Northwest Indians called it a potlatch. The Scotts called it a Gathering of the Clans. Fur trappers in the old west called is a Rendezvous. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I was born, was named after Davey Jackson. It described a high mountain valley surrounded by mountains. And, it became a place where fur trappers would have their Rendezvous. David knew it was important for folks to come together to celebrate the Lord. God had instructed His people that they were to do this weekly and on special occasions. Notice that David writes, “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” It’s an invitation to join him in his worship of the Lord! Worship should be a place where we can come together as God’s people and glorify and exalt His name with one another! But it should also be a place where we can invite others to join us! One of the things that attracted this brand-new Christian and old Catholic boy to go to church regularly was that it was enjoyable to be with God’s people praising God! Contrasted to the stodgy, formal, and often BORING worship I had grown up with, Baptists sang, praised the Lord, and even said “Amen!” once in a while! Notice that later in this song of David he writes, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalms 34:8 NIV) We need to invite others to come and taste and see just how good God is! When we come together, as God’s people, to glorify the Lord, we forget about ourselves and focus on who He is it is truly wonderful. We are reminded to magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!

EXAMPLE: What are some things that are better when done with other people? Of course, team sports like baseball, football, basketball and other sport games that have teams. Board games like Monopoly or Risk and of course some of the online games like Fortnite or Roblox. Summer camps and Vacation Bible School are a lot more fun when there are a lot of kids. As a church we’re stronger, encouraged, and benefit from coming together as believers to worship the Lord together. Our nation has lost a lot of its religious roots because people no longer see worshipping together as important for their lives, their children’s lives, and the moral health of our nation. David understood this. We need to magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!

Conclusion:
Magnify the Lord by focusing on Him to bring Him closer into our lives!
Magnify the Lord by focusing on the small things He does!
Magnify God by focusing how majestic He is!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2025 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.