If I want my trust in God to diminish, focusing on the mess in my life accomplishes that goal. But if I want my trust in God to grow, expand, take over my life — what must I do to accomplish that?

³O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34:3

Did you ever try to start a fire with a magnifying glass? It is proven that if you take a magnifying glass and focus the light of the sun onto a piece of combustible material, the heat from the sun is intensified so much it will cause the material to flame.

If I magnify God in my life it works much the same way. Focusing on him, rehearsing not only what he has done, but his characteristics — the truth about him — burns up the mess of my life.

I was reading the New Testament account of the Gentile woman who came to Jesus seeking healing for her daughter. You can read it in Matthew 15:21-28. Jesus didn’t seem to have the time of day for her. The woman’s response — magnify Jesus. She worshipped him.

As I prayed this passage, I spoke the words, “I worship you!” and immediately I felt in my spirit the Lord ask me, “what does it mean to worship me?” I was silent a moment and then I realized it is to magnify him. Make him bigger in my life, more seen, more known, more trusted. Worship of Jesus changes who I am and how I approach life.

Today, get out your magnifying glasses — actually, they are probably already out — examine what you have been magnifying. The opinions of others, the hurts you’ve experienced, the disappointments of life? Whatever is biggest in our life is what you magnify. Do you need to turn the glass to something different? Do you need to make God bigger than the problems? Because he will consume them if you allow him to.