What - Or Who - Do We Magnify?

Weeks ago some symptoms started to worsen. Pain comes and stays with no sign of how long it will occupy that area of my body. Slowly I have become more equipped and educated, adding books to my library of health resources and bottles to our stock of remedies. With supplies ready, I braced myself to ride it out.

One hard weekend passed, and I came back up for air. The busyness of teaching littles and washing dishes and running errands kept my mind occupied, distracted from the discomfort. A flare here and a flare there. Then another rough weekend, what is it about weekends?! (Praise the Lord, many of the hardest stretches are when my husband is home from work.) The pain intensified and I looked for things to be grateful for. Yet my mind began to spiral.

What could this mean? Why is this an issue again?

For over a decade, I didn’t know I was sick. But now that I'm working to heal, it’s as though aches and pains keep coming out of the woodwork. In many ways I’ve gotten sicker before any progress has been made. Turns out, healing isn’t linear.

This pain is new. Where is it coming from? What if — I can’t go there. But I’m going to go there… What do I do? Who do I ask for help?

Problems arise and I don’t have answers. I seek answers. And then… I find myself relying on those [human] answers to maintain my peace. How can I have peace when I could have a tumor? Or another disease? Or nothing, but not know it? How can I walk through suffering well - what does that look like?

In dark hours, my thoughts swirl and go down rabbit trails that should be closed off. Easily and quickly I’ve found myself magnifying the problems. Magnifying fears. Bigger and bigger they appear as I try to shove down the anxiety that’s stuck in my throat. And then like a little spark - into the dark shadows of my mind - comes a ray of light: magnify the Lord.

How do I suffer chronically and not focus on the pain? How do I manage these headaches, or wait for the dizziness to lessen, or bear with the stabbing pain in my neck - and not let them consume my thoughts? How do I not fear the symptoms that may arise next week? What else is there to think of, than these physical problems? And if I think of something else, am I ignoring the problem? being foolish or ignorant or irresponsible?

In Scripture, David says:

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together."
Psalm 34:3

And then also, Paul commands us to rejoice in all things:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4

The commands are to magnify the Lord, and to rejoice in Him. Do we then ignore the struggles? No, not at all. The struggles and circumstances are real, yet He tells us that even in them we can fix our eyes on Him.

Our pastor preached on Philippians 4:4 last week, and I smiled. I knew I wasn’t the only one in the sanctuary who needed the reminder to rejoice, and yet I thanked the Lord for getting me to church that morning to teach me further. Rejoicing should happen in sickness, and in health; when days are easy and when they’re hard; when life is clean with a pretty bow and when it’s messy in a heap. At all times, rejoice!

Over and over - daily - the Lord reminds me to magnify Him and rejoice. And I have found, over and over - daily - that He is sufficient. Often I ask myself, what am I magnifying? Is it pain and problems, or is it the Lord and His nature? It takes training, but we can learn to magnify Him in all things.

In this particular season, I’ve found that He is sufficient to lead me to answers and remedies when I need them. He is sufficient to give me His peace that surpasses all understanding and that wraps me in His comforting arms. This peace is not dependent on circumstances, it is dependent on an unchanging God and is therefore much richer and deeper than we can fathom. He is sufficient to take my load, my burdens, and give me joy. And He is sufficient to do it all again the next day, and the next and the next.

What a treasure we have in the Lord! What a gift, that He would make Himself readily available for all our needs at all times of all days! What a wonderful Father He is, who wants us to understand His nature and be made more into His likeness. He gives us life and He sustains it. Everything, all of it, is for His glory and our good.

You may not be dealing with physical problems; maybe you are having a hard time with other things. Or maybe you are in a season where there are minimal stressors and most days are joyful. If so, praise the Lord! And if not, still praise the Lord! Friend, if you are struggling with your thoughts and what you focus on, begin to magnify the Lord. Rejoice in Him. There is always something to praise Him for. There is always a way to magnify Him above other things. As you practice this, you will find that you are more joyful, days are more lovely, life is more abundant. May He always be praised!

“The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 23

You can listen to this Psalm here; this rendition is one of our family’s favorites!

Races and Rhythms || Friday Magnify

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together."
Psalm 34:3

The ground was covered in icy slush, our feet crunching and sliding as we walked into the woods. The kids ran off the path to a small waterfall, shouting at us to follow.

Our friends oohed and ahhed at the waterfall and continued walking down the hill, tracing the stream toward the river. The boys took off running, again, daring themselves to slip and slide the whole way down. They managed to stay on their feet, thankfully, and without going over the banks into the icy water. A success in this mama’s book.

We admired the river and continued walking around trees and over roots and across muddy slush until we came to another incline. With each step the view of the river expanded, and we were met at the top by a beautiful historic house whose paint has been chipping away slowly over the years.

The boys took off again, this time down another hill facing the edge of the water. My husband hollered at them to stop and they did, reluctantly, knowing the feats that awaited them over that hill. We’ve been there quite a few times; my husband has not. Nevertheless, it was good he stopped them from racing down the crooked, jagged, steep granite steps that this time were covered in snow.

Once we’d all made it down that flight of stairs, we looked with wonder at the river before us. Here we were again, when the ice chunks had begun to float by. The sights of nature, all in rhythm. The same birds, ducking in and out of the water for food. The same voices from the trees, quiet and hidden.

The boys and men grabbed chunks of ice and began tossing them into the water. This led to skipping them, then smashing them, then seeing who could throw the biggest piece the farthest. Yet again, no one fell in and no one even got feet soaked. Another success.

Two out of four phones died, and we laughed and accepted the fact that we wouldn’t be documenting much, save the couple photos I had gotten earlier. Soon our fingers were frozen and the sun was beginning to set, so we headed back to through the woods to the parking lot.

We came out into the clearing to see a tow truck and a few cars remaining in the parking lot. The truck drove off before we could get to it, and there we sat with wheels spinning in the slush. I got in the driver’s seat and the men went to push. Rock back and forth, back and forth; slide up and down, up and down.

A girl who had been waiting on the side of the road stepped out of her car and walked over, offering to help. A few minutes later, a man who’d been on the phone in his car also stepped out and started to push. With more rocking and sliding we finally grabbed pavement and got up onto the road. Everyone then turned their attention to the other man’s car, which was also stuck. They pushed him up to the road, cheered and shook hands, and got into their respective cars. Off we went.

Those shouts of joy, the laughter and sounds of feet stomping through snow, the competition on the river’s edge. The rhythmic happenings of nature, the ice floating downstream as it always does in the winter. The helpful strangers in the parking lot, and just enough daylight to see the situation. A fun and comical afternoon spent with friends. The Lord has been good to us.

Resolving to Rejoice

It’s the last week of the year, when we’ve already celebrated Christmas but aren’t quite to the New Year and aren’t sure what day it is or what we’re supposed to be doing. But I imagine many of us are attempting New Year resolutions — or maybe we’ve given up on those altogether. Either way, I hope you’ll find this encouraging!

We all know there will be many unknowns this coming year, and there will be days that surprise us and ruin our schedules and change our unchangeable plans. This happens every year of course, but it seems that after 2020 and 2021 it’s more obvious that our lives are not in our control. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). (This verse is really very comforting. How many plans have we intended to execute that we look back on later with relief that we weren’t able to follow through? His direction is good!)

I recently heard someone talking about resolutions, and though I can’t remember who it was he/she made a great point: resolve to praise the Lord. For 2022, Psalm 118:24 is a good verse to keep front and center:

“This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it”.

Notice he says we will rejoice. We don’t know what each day will bring, but we can already resolve to rejoice! In sickness and health, in hardship and ease, in routine and chaos. Each day that we are given, regardless of circumstances, we have the opportunity to rejoice and be glad in it. Resolving to be thankful and give God praise will make a year better, won’t it?

Our family has ideas and goals for the upcoming year, and I am enjoying the labor of planning things out. While I have to hold onto these things loosely, I am resolving to praise Him each day. I want to thank Him continuously, and see His hand in more of my everyday. A year from now, I want to have grown in thanksgiving and love for my Savior. This will likely make me a more joyful and content wife, mother, and friend too. ;)

What are you looking forward to in 2022? Are there goals you’ve set and are hoping to reach? Are you forgoing benchmarks and taking it all as it comes? I hope, whatever the case may be, that you are encouraged to rejoice more in your Savior. I hope He shows you more of Himself and His goodness in this year to come, and that you find Him satisfactory in all situations.

Happy almost New Year, friends!

Merry Christmas!

They knew He would be coming, the Messiah. The one who would save the world. The Jews waited with longing.

They knew Scripture; they knew it talks even from the beginning about a Man whose heel would be bruised by Satan, but who would crush Satan’s head in return (Genesis 3:15). Our first parents, having chosen sin over fellowship with God, were ushered out of the perfect garden — yet not without hope. God would not let death have the final word.

But because sin cannot stand before a holy God, sacrifices had to be made. Time and time again, the Jews brought their sacrifices to the temple as atonement. The blood of a lamb, shed. Over, and over, and over again. But they knew – it wouldn’t stay this way forever. God had promised a Savior. He gave them pictures of salvation throughout the history of Scripture; He would come for them. Isaiah talked of this Redeemer and all that He would do:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder,
And His name will be called,
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end.
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2).

They waited for Him. This Redeemer, God. This Redeemer, man? How would He, God, come to earth as a Savior? The Almighty God, who resides in Heaven and looks down upon mankind – Him, coming as the Messiah? They had to wait and watch how the Lord would cause this to unfold.

They knew from Scripture the timeframe in which He would come. There was a hopeful expectancy around the time of Jesus’ birth. One man in particular, Simeon, was given the gift of meeting his Savior before he died:

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel’” (Luke 2:25-32).

He had come! He had come as an infant, born to a virgin. He didn’t sweep in and take over Jerusalem with pomp and power; He came as every one of us comes. He grew as we do, He learned and was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40). He watched His mother in her daily tasks, and was trained by His father as a carpenter. He was tempted and tried, yet resisted sin perfectly.

People followed Him – some puzzled, some awestruck, some skeptical, some full of hope. They followed the God-Man and were healed, fed, taught, encouraged. There were still those who hated Him, and when He had lived on Earth a little more than 30 years He was horrifically murdered by His own creation. But this was what He had come for: to conquer death and be the one – the final – sacrifice. The perfect, sinless Lamb. He took our sins and paid the price for them. Three days later He rose from the grave, having defeated death and making a way for all to come to Himself. No more sacrifices, no more burdens – He had set them free! All people could now be free, forgiven of our sins and made clean!

Is your soul grieved? Are you without hope? Are you weary and brokenhearted? This Savior has come! This Redeemer accomplished what He promised He would! The freedom He brought is available for you and me and our children and grandchildren. We do not have to be slaves to sin (Romans 6), bound by our own shortcomings and failures.

We do not have to be burdened with sorrows, with bitterness, with anxiety or fear or depression. In fact, we shouldn’t be. He has set us free and given us His joy! He gives us peace that only He can provide; He gives us hope and comfort and guidance and wisdom. He gives us life that we may live it fully, and He lavishes us with blessing upon blessing. He gives us good works to walk in, and His Spirit resides in us that we might be full of His good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). We can have the most abundant, wonder-filled life!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We can join with Paul in exclaiming: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

May our homes be full of joy and laughter and thanksgiving this Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord. What a wonderful God, a mighty Savior. Merry Christmas, friends!