My Soul Magnifies the Lord

Traditionally described as the Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise seeks to magnify the Lord. “My Soul magnifies the Lord” she sings in Luke 1:46.

The New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionary interprets the Word magnify as to make or declare great, enlarged, exalted, to hold in High esteem or to lengthen.

In this verse of Scripture, Mary seeks to see her Lord declared great, enlarged, exalted, held in high esteem or lengthened.

Mary is saying Lord, in my eyes you are big, in my heart you are big, and in my entire life you are big. The world might see you as small and insignificant, but Lord, in my mind, will and emotions, you are big. I see you high and lifted up just as Isaiah says he saw the Lord High and lifted up in Isaiah 6:1

I see you high and lifted up far above all principalities and powers, far above all situations and circumstances.

But very often we hear Christians unwittingly and perhaps unconsciously, magnifying the devil, by focusing on the havoc the devil is creating in people’s lives. I’m sure it isn’t intentional; it is also probably a cultural thing where all we hear is how the devil oppressed one person or the other and in a way is sounds so spiritual.

I would that we would magnify the Lord all the same, indeed by focusing in on the Victory that Christ wrought us through the Cross. Yes the devil might be powerful, but our God is incomparably mightier.

Colossians 2:15 says “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Colossians 2:10 again says “And you are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power”

David in Psalm 34:3 sings “Oh, Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His Name together”. Here the word to magnify is interpreted as “to bless, celebrate, eulogize, extol, glorify, hymn, laud and panegyrize.

He David invites the people of Israel to come together and join Him in Magnifying the Lord.

This same invitation is extended to all of us as Christians.

May our souls indeed magnify the lord.

S.O