Magnifying the Lord
Yesterday, we left off with Elizabeth blessing Mary. After that powerful moment of confirmation, Mary breaks into one of the most famous hymns of praise in Scripture, often called the Magnificat (from the Latin word for "magnify").
This prayer of Mary’s, found in Luke 1:46-55 (KJV), is not just a polite thank-you note to God; it’s a radical, prophetic song of worship that reveals a deep, Old Testament-rooted faith. She starts with this simple, powerful declaration: "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord."
What does it mean to "magnify" the Lord? When you magnify something with a magnifying glass, you aren’t making the object bigger; you are simply making it appear bigger and clearer to the human eye. The object's size hasn't changed, but our perception of it has.
Mary’s prayer expresses: "Lord, I will live a life that makes your greatness, your character, and your goodness clearer for everyone to see."
Notice what Mary praises Him for:
His Humility (v. 48): He has regarded the "low estate" of His handmaiden. She recognized that God chooses the humble, the overlooked, and the unlikely.
His Power (v. 49): He that is mighty "hath done to me great things." She recognized the impossible miracle.
His Justice (v. 51-53): He scatters the proud, puts down the mighty, exalts the humble, and fills the hungry with good things. This is revolutionary language—God flipping the world’s power structure upside down.
Mary was a young, poor, unassuming girl, yet she understood the vast, powerful, and just nature of the God she served. Her life was a chaotic mess according to human standards (an unexpected pregnancy before marriage), but her soul was settled because she focused on God's character.
When life is confusing, overwhelming, or uncertain, the best thing we can do is magnify the Lord. When we choose to focus our energy, our words, and our actions on making God’s character look bigger than our problems, our fear shrinks, and our worship grows.
Today, let your devotion be to "magnify the Lord." Look around at your day (both the big things and the small) and ask yourself: How can I live, speak, or serve in a way that makes God’s goodness look bigger and clearer to everyone around me? When your soul truly magnifies the Lord, your life becomes a song of powerful, confident praise.