Telescopes for God

I was reading something by A. W. Tozer today that reminded me about magnifying the Lord in our lives as Christians. The call to magnify the Lord was a common one in the Old Testament. You can find one example of it in Psalm 34:3:
      O magnify the LORD with me,
      And let us exalt His name together.

What exactly does it mean to magnify the Lord? There are two common instruments scientists use to magnify objects. The first is a microscope. That is used to enlarge very small things so they can be seen. Some people think that we Christians make way too much about God or Jesus. They think we blow things up way bigger than they ought to be. They would accuse us of using a microscope to enlarge the very small and insignificant god they think exists. That is not what the Bible means when it calls on us to magnify the Lord. We aren't to blow God up bigger than he really is.

The second instrument scientists use to magnify objects is a telescope. Its function is very different from a microscope. A telescope takes very large objects which seem small and fuzzy because of their distance and it brings them closer enabling us to see how grand and magnificent they actually are.

This is what it means to magnify the Lord. Magnifying the Lord is not making something small and insignificant seem bigger than it is, but it is making what may appear small and fuzzy because of its distance to be seen for all its true greatness and grandeur. By magnifying the Lord in this way we make clear and close the God who seems unclear, unfocused, and distant to many people. By letting God's love, peace, grace, patience, and other traits become evident in our lives, and by letting him mold and transform us in ways others can see, we actually bring him nearer to those around us. We magnify him, and others can begin to see him for who he really is. What a privilege! It is also an awesome responsibility.

The call to magnify the Lord is a call to help make who he is clear and plain to those around us. It is a call to be 'telescopes' for God. As others look into our lives, we should want them to better see God for the great and awesome being he is.

Let's magnify the Lord; let's become telescopes pointed toward God for others.