Problems…everybody has them. I had a junior high school English teacher named Mrs. Wagner. She would often tell us we were "awfulizing". That was a manufactured word meaning one was making something bigger than it was. "Making a mountain out of a mole hill" is what my grandfather would have said.
I recently read a great quote on Twitter by Rick Warren. He said, "Worship is the antidote to worry. Focusing on God’s greatness shrinks problems. Don’t panic. Pray.”
When we focus on the problem, the problem grows out of proportion. We, in essence, magnify the problem to a size that is disproportionately larger than it is in reality. That is a common practice in the vacuum sales industry. They love to show a magnified photograph of a dust mite to strike fear in their potential clients. Who wouldn't shudder at the site of this creature? The dust mite!
This insect is called a mite for a reason. It is approximately 0.0016 in long and 0.0098 inches wide. It is barely visible under a magnifying glass with proper lighting and contrasting background. Like the vacuum salesman, Satan would like to blow our problems out of proportion and take our eyes off of Jesus.
The Bible offers the solution. We are to magnify the Lord. Here are a few examples.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together. –Psalm 34:3
And let us exalt His name together. –Psalm 34:3
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. –Psalm 69:30
He must increase, but I must decrease. -John 3:30
What is man, that you should magnify him? and that you should set your heart on him? -Job 7:17
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. –Luke 1 :46-47
I love what the lyrics in the Chorus of "In the Presence of Jehovah" by Geron & Becky Davis say.
In the presence of Jehovah
God Almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended
In the presence of the King.
God Almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended
In the presence of the King.
We often sing this song in our church and I hope people don't get the false idea that our troubles literally vanish. The troubles are still there, but they diminish to their proper size when compared to our great God. Can we actually make an all-powerful and all-knowing God bigger? Isn't He already immeasurable? What happens when is magnify Him, is that our focus is on Him. We remember His power to save in the past and when we recognize that He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore, we know that we can trust him with even our biggest troubles.
I have provided a great YouTube Video and lyrics to "Your Great Name" by Michael Neale and Krissy Nordhoff. It is presented by the worship team at Saddleback Church with soloist Natalie Grant. I bet your perspective of God's greatness will grow in you by the first verse. Enjoy!
