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

What does it mean to magnify the Lord? It means to make Him large in our lives.

I am sure you have noticed that an object looks small from far-away, but it appears to get larger as you approach it. The object didn’t actually get any bigger, but your perspective, or view of it, changed. Once you were face to face with the object, you saw it in its full size. That is how we magnify the Lord- we draw near to Him so we see Him as He is- larger than anyone or anything we could face.

And we draw near to Him through spending time in His Word, time in prayer, and time in worship. As we enter His presence through these avenues, we get closer to Him. And in the presence of God, our perspective is changed and we see things more accurately. When we are near God, we can magnify Him to others as well by giving Him the glory and praise for Who He is and what He does.

Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. James 4:8 (The Passion Translation, TPT)

Many people think that magnifying God is simply praising Him. And while, praise and worhsip is a part of it, magnifying God comes as a result of getting close to Him. When we get close to Him, we experience His manifest presence, we obtain revelation and transformation, and His glory spills over into every area of our lives. We see God as He is- great and greatly to be praised. When we see God in the correct perspective, we do not doubt His ability or willingness to put us over the top in all aspects of life. And that produces praise.

When we draw near to God, He is magnified to us. Then we can magnify Him to others.