My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
Psalm 34:2–3 ESV
To magnify is to make larger, more visible, more easily seen. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary telling her she would be the mother of the Messiah, her response was to quote the psalm, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me.” Mary knew she was the object of God’s favor and mercy. That knowledge produced humility. It is the humble soul that desires that God be glorified instead of self.
Try as we might, we can’t produce this humility in ourselves. It is our natural tendency to be self-promoters, to manage the impressions others have of us, and to better our own reputations. We need the help of the Spirit to remind us that God has favored each of us with His presence. He did not have to come to us in Christ, but He did. He has chosen to set His love on us. His life redeemed ours, and He sanctifies us. We are recipients of the action of His grace.
Does your soul make its boast in the Lord? Does your life make Christ larger and easier for others to see? Maybe you can’t honestly say you desire this. Start there. Confess that. Ask Him to remind you of His favor and to work humility into your life, to help you pray like Mary did.
Christ Jesus, help me to remember what You have done for me and desire for others to see and know You.
Recommended Resource:
If you liked today’s reading, we recommend the newest edition of Daily Wisdom for Women Devotional Collection. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Related Readings:
CLICK HERE to discover more readings about humility.
Today’s reading was adapted from Daily Wisdom for Women: 2013 Devotional Collection with permission from Barbour Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading was written by Leah Slawson.