Dear Wife, Magnify Him

Ok, here’s the thing. 

If I read about God, who sees and looks after me, and walk away thinking *I* must be someone pretty incredible and special, 

my worship is misplaced. 

If the end result of a God who looks on and after us, is a more puffed-up version of ourselves and self-importance, then we are getting things backwards. 

What a shallow pool that would leave us in! Think on it for a minute. 

Having a God who looks on us doesn’t make us more special, it makes him more worthy of worship! He is the one who should be exalted, not me. 

Let’s take our cues from Mary on this one. As she experiences God looking upon her with favor, her response is so counter to what our default tends to be. We love to be set apart as special, don’t we? Mary proclaims, 
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant.”
Luke 1:46-48

Mary does not leave that encounter thinking, I sure am something! Instead, she magnifies the One who does the looking. Her worship is ordered correctly. Mary understood that it wasn’t about being singled out as special—it is about a God who is that amazing. His love towards us gives us value and worth, but that is not the deepest or most important truth. He is a God who lives in high and holy places, yet chooses to look on his people with love–what a Savior! He is so worthy of praise.

Let’s pray for hearts like Mary's. She did not try to steal God’s glory but rather magnified the God who saw her. Let’s learn to pray, 
“Not to us, Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory
because of your faithful love…” (Psalm 115:1)

It’s not about having a better view of ourselves. That will only take us so far and leave us pretty empty in the end. Instead, let’s pray for hearts that have a better view of God. He is so good, so kind, so loving. Let’s refocus our gaze and our worship today.

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:3)