Psalms 34:1-4 (NKJV)
“Magnify the Lord”
June 22, 2025
David insisted that despite the difficulties and dangers of his life, his experience with God has given him something to brag about. I wonder today, if we can put ourselves in David’s position, when the words of this text were written, no doubt, David was feeling unkept, his clothes were soiled from his journey and his armor is dented and damaged from the rigors of the battle and yet in spite of all of that, David does some bragging. David says, “My soul shall make her boast in the Lord.” And if that’s not good enough, David adopts a preamble of praise when he realizes that somebody else gains benefit from his spiritual experience. Somebody is drawn closer to the Lord because of what He does and what He says, and that’s the reason for the praise. David says, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.” Then he adds, as it were an exclamation point, “Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.” Now my brothers and sisters, the more I look at this, the more it appears to me that David is not only trying to show us why to praise, but also how to praise. David is simply saying that praise is designed to magnify and not to minimize. But we serve the God that created the universe with His Word. How do you magnify that? This is the God that set the sun in its socket and crowned the moon as the queen of the night. How do you magnify that? I’m talking about the God that created the heavens with the work of His fingers and scooped out the valleys with His footsteps and manufactured mountains with His will. This is the God that spat out the seven seas in an instant of time. This is the God that taught rivers how to run, taught brooks how to babble and put the green in grass and the wet in water. I’m talking about the God who taught time how to rotate from night to day and then from day to night. How do you magnify a God that one day took clay and formed man in His hand, loved him into existence and on the banks of time blew into him the breath of life, how do you magnify that? I’ve found out that whenever I look through a magnifying glass, it doesn’t change what it looks like. It may look bigger, but it doesn’t change its outward appearance. You can’t change what it is. Because it is what it is! What changes is your perception. What changes is your understanding. What changes is your appreciation for that that is being magnified. When I magnify something, I can see it better. When I magnify, I can understand it better. When I magnify, I have a deeper appreciation for how and what it does. So, when we magnify the Lord, we can’t change the Lord. We can’t make God any bigger than He already is. We can’t change Him Because the scripture tells us that He said, “I am the Lord, I change not.” We cannot change God because Hebrews says, “He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.” But what we do change is how WE view God.
A Positive Intention (v.1-2) - How long will I bless the Lord? I will bless Him continually - at all times. I will bless Him vocally because His praise will be in my mouth. I will bless Him inwardly - my soul shall boast in the Lord. I will bless Him unashamedly - the humble shall hear and be glad! Some will want me to shut up, but my praise was not meant for the proud, because when the humble hear it, they will be glad! The praise of God in David’s view was a continuous reality. That is why David put emphasis on the experience of his life with the words, “at all times.” In other words, what David was saying is, I’m gonna bless the Lord anywhere and anyhow. No matter what happens, come what may, no matter how dark the night, I WILL BLESS THE LORD. In poverty or in plenty or if I’m forsaken or forgotten by family or friend, David says, I will bless the Lord at all times! No matter what, I’m gonna give God the Glory. So, when the psalmist blesses the Lord, praises the Lord, and boasts in the Lord, then the humble will hear this praise and “be glad.”
A Passionate Exhortation (v.3) - Oh magnify the Lord with me - ascribe greatness to Him. We have already said that God can’t get any bigger, but when we change our perception of Him, our understanding of Him and what He does is greater. When you magnify the Lord, you will soon come to realize that whatever it is that happens in your life does not happen because of chance. Whatever happens in your life does not happen because you were in the right place at the right time. It is not because you have degrees on your wall or trophies on your table. What happens in your life, happens because God is in control. And whenever you magnify the Lord, you will discover that whatever else you might think, GOD DID IT. The house that you live in, God did it. The car that you drive, God did it. The job that you have, God did it. The salary that you make, God did it. The promotions and the positions and the scholarships you have received, God did it. And all that David wants you and me to do is to stop looking at God through lenses that minimize Him and look at God another way. If there is anything to boast about, it is not in our individual accomplishments or abilities. It is in the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”
A Personal Experience (v.4) - I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The historical context for this Psalm comes from 1 Samuel 21. At this point, David was literally fearing for his life, living on the run from King Saul. David sought refuge with the Philistines, but when they began to realize who he was, he feared for his life and pretended to be insane to protect himself. “When David realized that he had been recognized, he panicked, fearing the worst from Achish, king of Gath. So right there, while they were looking at him, he pretended to go crazy, pounding his head on the city gate and foaming at the mouth, spit dripping from his beard.” David then escaped to a cave where he likely wrote this Psalm. In times of fear and uncertainty, David's response was to seek the Lord. This act of seeking is not a passive endeavor but an active pursuit of God's presence and guidance. When we seek the Lord, we are acknowledging our need for Him and inviting Him into our circumstances. David's testimony reminds us that God is attentive to our cries and is faithful to deliver us from our fears. His deliverance may not always come in the way we expect, but it is always perfect and timely. 1 John 5:14, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." You can have confidence that God hears you. Fear can be paralyzing, robbing us of joy and peace. But when we entrust our worries and anxieties to the Lord, He grants us the courage to face our fears with confidence. God delivers us from our fears when we renew our minds through reading scripture and invite Him in prayer to let the truth of His words soak into our hearts. 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"
