“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3
Part of God’s design for the human is to feel, or have emotion. Some may feel emotions more than others, but nonetheless, we have an emotional side. God’s intent for us emotionally was to be blessed; however, in a fallen world, emotions can become damaged, distorted, dysfunctional, depressed, to name a few. Jesus was sent to make us whole in spirit, soul, and body; emotions are part of the soul.
One way to emotional health is to magnify the Lord, as seen in Psalm 34:3. To magnify is to make larger, bigger, greater. God is already the greatest, but when we magnify Him, we are making Him bigger than our problems and the people who can cause distress. When we focus on the troubles, our situation seems more difficult. We want God to be greater, so we need to focus on Him. Here are three ways to magnify the Lord
Worship: When we worship, we are entering God’s presence, we are singing or declaring His good character, His awesome power, and His limitless resources. As we worship the Father, worldly things line up with our heart, our spirit, and we can overcome our soul.
Word: When we get into God’s Word, the Bible, we read, study, meditate, apply, and obey living, active promises of God. As our faith is built up, we lean on our great God and trust Him with our concerns. Again, our emotions have to come under our control.
Ways: When we decide to choose God’s ways over the ways of this world, then we find freedom. The world is fallen and twisted by sin. Worldly wisdom is limited. While some natural knowledge may help us cope, only a spiritual experience can cause us to heal. Let’s be careful not to let worldly wisdom be mingled with godly wisdom (James 3:13-18). For example, the world will tell you to look out for yourself, to cancel people who disagree with you, and to stay away from toxic people. God has a different system of operation in His kingdom. He tells us to prefer others before ourselves, to extend grace, and to reach out to the hurting. Let’s be wise, follow the Holy Spirit, and do things God’s way!
If your mind can’t stop thinking about problems and difficult people, get alone with God. Worship, get in the Word, and consider God’s ways.
Application: Can you think of any other worldly principles you’ve heart that sound Christian, but don’t line up with the Bible? If so, decide now not follow God and not the world!