“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:3-4)
Do you worry? Do you fret?
Maybe it’s money. How am I going to pay for this? How will I cover that expense coming up, or the debt I’m still carrying from last year?
Maybe it’s your health. What will the test results say? How long will this pain or discomfort last? Will I ever feel like myself again?
Maybe it’s something else:
- Work. Will I keep my job? Should I take that new one? Why can’t I find one at all?
- Family. A marriage that feels strained. A child who is struggling. Aging parents who need more care than you know how to give.
- Our kids’ futures. Their choices, their salvation, the world they are growing up in.
- Unbelieving loved ones. A spouse, a son or daughter, a parent, a friend. Will they ever come to a saving faith?
- Loneliness. Feeling unseen, even in a crowded room or at church.
- The future. Retirement, the economy, the news, the country, even the election.
If you found yourself on this list, and no doubt you did (likely in more than one place!), you’re not alone! So did I.
Big God, little problems
When I was in high school, I saw a bumper sticker that has “stuck” with me ever since: BIG God, little problems. Little God, big problems.
As simple as that is, there’s a lot of truth in it. Let me be clear: I’m not saying your problems are small. They are real, and some of them are heavy. We deal with some weighty burdens in this world, and the Bible NEVER tells us to pretend otherwise. The Psalms are full of cries to God in times of trouble, and Jesus Himself wept at a dear friend’s grave.
But sometimes we can hold our worries so close that they fill the whole frame, and God slips out of focus. The problem isn’t that our troubles are too big. It’s that our view of God has gotten too small.
Adjusting the focus
Have you ever looked through a camera when the focus is off? The thing you actually want to see is blurry, while something in the foreground is sharp and crowding out the shot. So you turn the focusing lens, slowly, until the edges sharpen and the right thing comes into clear view.
That’s what Glimpses of Glory is for. Each week, we’ll take one window, one snapshot of life, and adjust the focus to bring God back into clear view. Each week we will take a different topic: creation (the size of the universe, the design of the human body, the laws that hold all things together), history (God’s providence – where His hand in human events is unmistakable), all while looking at Scripture (who God says He is, His power, His wisdom, His sovereignty, His faithfulness, and His love).
The goal is not a science or history lesson (as interesting as they may be!). It’s not trivia. The goal is to rekindle a little wonder, or hopefully awe, at the majesty of God.
In Psalm 34:3, David says, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me.” The Hebrew word here means to declare God great, to praise Him, and he pairs it in the next line with “exalt his name.” David is calling us to worship out loud and together.
And that is exactly how the focus gets adjusted. Our praise doesn’t make God any bigger; He is already infinitely great. We can’t add anything to God. But when we say out loud who God is, the truth we speak to ourselves begins to retrain our eyes. Worship is where our view of God gets corrected, and where our fears start to shrink back to their real size.
And here is the beautiful part: notice what happens next in verse 4, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” A right view of God’s greatness and care changes how we carry everything else.
Where Wonder Begins
Wonder begins with a fear of the Lord. If Glimpses of Glory had a theme verse, it would be Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Seems like an odd verse for people who are already afraid, doesn’t it? But the “fear of the LORD” isn’t the kind of fear that keeps us up at night. It is the reverence and awe, seeing God as He really is, holy, powerful, and good, and giving Him the place in our lives that He deserves. It’s what happens when God is finally in focus. And Proverbs says that’s where real knowledge begins. Not where it ends up after we have figured everything else out, but where it starts.
C.S. Lewis captured this beautifully in the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When the children first hear about Aslan, the great Lion who represents Jesus Christ, Susan nervously asks Mr. and Mrs. Beaver if he is safe. Mr. Beaver’s response is “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
That’s the fear of the Lord in a nutshell. He is holy, and “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). But He is also good, and for those who belong to Christ, that goodness is aimed at us. The right response isn’t to run from Him or to treat Him casually. It’s to come near with knees that tremble and a heart that trusts.
Here’s a surprising part. Scripture keeps putting two things side by side: fear God, and don’t be afraid. Through Isaiah, God told his anxious people not to fear what the world fears, but to fear Him: “Do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” (Isaiah 8:12b-13)
Jesus did the same thing. In one breath He said to fear God, and in the next He pointed to the sparrows God watches over and said, “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31)
Worry, in the end, is often fear aimed at the wrong thing. When God is small in our eyes, everything else looks huge. When we fear Him rightly, every other fear starts to shrink to its proper size. Big God, little problems.
A note for parents: if you have kids in the T&T Awana program, Proverbs 1:7 is their memory verse this week. Ask them to say it for you, then ask them what they think it means to “fear the Lord.” You might be surprised by the conversation.
Wherever you are today
We all ebb and flow in our walk with the Lord. Some of you are on fire for him right now, and this might be a small, fine-focus adjustment. For others, it might be a bigger course correction. Wherever you are, I hope you’ll find something here each week that lifts your eyes.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Write with Us
Glimpses of Glory is a series of blog posts written by members of Jackson Bible Church. Unless noted otherwise, entries are shared anonymously so the focus stays where it belongs: on God. Want to contribute?
Email Pastor Isaac @ jacksonbiblechurch@gmail.com
Until next week, let’s magnify the Lord together!
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