One of the boys at school had a big magnifying glass, which he had borrowed from his father. He let us see all kinds of wonderful things through it—big black print on our old familiar books, huge pores on the skin of our hands, and tiny crawling insects on a leaf, which looked, as we said, like baby elephants!
We looked at each other’s faces too, and oh how the blemishes showed up! Even as children there were faults enough, and the marks of time would show far more plainly on older faces. We human beings can’t stand being magnified. We are bad enough as we are.
The telescope has a powerful magnifying glass in it too, but its purpose is not to make things look bigger than they really are, but rather to make faraway things look closer to us. It makes me think of that beautiful verse, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3.
Where must we go, to find the God of heaven magnified most of all? Surely, to Calvary’s cross. There the high and holy One has come nearer to us, to offer Himself a sacrifice for sin. Here we may see the Infinite One who humbled Himself even unto death to save ruined man. Oh, how the heart of God was magnified, to our little minds, in the work His beloved Son accomplished on Calvary.
Stop, dear reader, and learn, through the Holy Scriptures, of that blessed One who suffered and died because He loved you and me. We cannot bear to be magnified. The “life size” picture of our hearts shows us as lost ruined sinners, whereas no honor is too great for that holy, sinless One who has “come near” to us. Every glory is His right. Will you not take your true place as a sinner and receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour? Then you will exclaim with all who love Him: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34: 3.
ML 09/20/1953