Magnifying God in Grief
I remember standing on my tippy toes so that I may better look through the telescope. Once I saw the other shore, it seemed to be well worth the quarter we put in the machine to use the telescope. There on the other side of the lens, it was as if the scene was right in front of me- just as it was across the lake.
On this side of eternity, the promises of the everlasting are hard to imagine and God can at times feel far off. In order to see these promises better, I must also see more of God. I need him magnified in my life.
‘When David says, “I will magnify God with thanksgiving.” he does not mean: “ I will make a small God look bigger than he is.” He means: “I will make a big God look as big as he really is.”
Tim Keller
But there is no quarter that will bring this about. Instead we are called to give thanks to the Lord so that we may magnify him in our lives and the lives around us. When things are going well, this seems to be much easier, but in times of loss this practice can seem almost impossible. The Psalmist however show us over and over, that it is not our circumstances that determine our ability to give thanks.
“But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 69:29-30
This world is broken. We are afflicted. We are grieving. We are in pain. And yet, by his grace, salvation is ours and the eternal promises are a surety. In the here, God puts us in position to see him in the midst of the suffering. At times, this is accomplished by the reminder of his past faithfulness and other times its seeing him in the day to day.
Just as I strained to see through the telescope, I am called to look for ways in which I can give thanksgiving to God so that I can see him as he is. When I struggle seeing God, I can:
Read and pray Psalms. Many of the psalms are laments where words of grief are poured out. You too are invited to be honest about your pain and sadness. There is no rush to express your own thanksgiving, but the psalmist will give you words of thanksgiving for the ability to be honest before the Lord and to trust your creator.
Reflect on God’s prior works in your life. Each year I make a timeline of the ways God has revealed himself to me over time. The prayers answered, his presence known, the heart transformed. It’s an opportunity to speak of his faithfulness seen in your life.
Give thanksgiving in the small things. Having food to eat, shelter, a smile from a stranger… This won’t discount your losses, but instead will help you see thanksgiving and grief mingle.
Pray for a heart of thanksgiving.
Although grief can obscure your vision of him in the current circumstances, thanksgiving can allow you to magnify him even in your grief.
May we ask God to be put in the position to see his glory all the more, that we may magnify him with Thanksgiving.
May we “feel, think, and act in a way that will make God look as great as he really is”. **
Sources: * Quote by John Piper, “I Will Magnify Him with Thanksgiving”, desiringgod.org. ** also in source *