Study of Prayer ~ Week One Lesson Five

“Magnifying God”

Let’s begin this lesson by reading Psalm 34:1-3 again, but this time we’ll read it in the King James Version. I will supply the text for you: 

I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continuously be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear it and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

Please underline: bless, praise, boast and magnify. These words help us focus on the Lord Almighty. They are essential to magnifying Him in our prayers.

If you ever took a science class you should remember looking through a microscope at some pond water? What looked like a clear liquid on a tiny slide when viewed through a microscope, was in fact teaming with the activity of tiny organisms. In order for you to see clearly, when you looked into the microscope, you had to turn the fine tuning knobs and line up the slide so the microorganism could be brought into clear view.

This is the case with prayer. Blessing, praising and boasting in Him, are the “knobs” that help magnify God. He is magnified in our honor of Him. The unseen things of God are brought into plain view. This is the first essential step in our approach to Him. The fuzziness of life and the daily distractions we encounter fade away and our view of God is made clear.
This week we have focused on the fine tuning process of magnifying God by learning to:

* Recognize God’s Position
* Honor God
* Celebrate God
* Extolling God

These elements of glorifying God fine tune our vision of Him. He is magnified and we can see Him. He is brought into plain view.

Turn to Psalm 63:1-3. Let’s break these verses down:

Verse 1: Why do we seek God according to the Psalmist?

Verse 2: What do we see in the sanctuary of God? 

Verse 3: Why do we glorify God?

We read in this Psalm that when we seek God, we behold His power and glory and glorify Him in our lives. Let’s take a closer look at these three verses individually.

Behold His Power and Glory!

Seeking God
We seek God because our souls need to be filled by Him. This world offers only temporary satisfaction. Just like a candy bar leaves us feeling hungry shortly after we have eaten it, so does the satisfaction that the world offers.

In our communication with God, we seek Him so He can fill us. This life and this world do not offer the essentials for our souls, only God does. He’s the only one who can meet our needs.
Turn to Psalm 42:1 & 2. What does our soul pant for?

What does the Psalmist ask in verse 2?

The two Hebrew words used for “meet with” are “ra’ah” which means “to see, to understand intellectually and perceive,” and “pa’neh” which means “before, in front of; face or in the presence of.” When we pray, we seek fulfillment in the very presence of our Holy God. We understand that He is God and the supplier of our every need. He quenches our thirst and fills us with the sustenance of His love.

What do you suppose is the answer to the Psalmist’s question, “When can I go and meet with Him?” 

We can meet with God at any time. He is brought into clear view when we bow in His presence through prayer. We magnify God by being in His presence. We are in His presence anywhere and everywhere as followers of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. Our physical bodies and this physical world cannot confine us. We are always in the presence of the Lord. We just need to acknowledge this and seek Him.

God is present.

Seek Him.

Beholding God’s Power and Glory
By being in the very presence of God, we clearly see His power and glory. The unseen power and glory of God is magnified, brought into focus, as we behold Him. We cannot behold the unseen attributes of God without being in His presence. Throughout our day, we can walk in His presence as we glorify Him in our thoughts, words and actions.
Read Psalm 27:4. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

“One thing I ________ of the Lord, this is what I _________: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to ________ upon the beauty of the Lord and to _________ Him in His temple.”

The Psalmist asks one thing of the Lord, but it has three elements to it. What are they?

1. 
2. 
3.

Employing these elements in our lives magnifies God. This is how:

1. “To dwell” means “to live our lives in the presence of God.” We are never without Him. He is part of us because we have chosen to live in His presence.

2. “To seek” means “to direct all our questions to God.” We seek direction from Him. We want to be in His presence and to do this, we must inquire of Him. This is an act of obedience. To remain in His presence, we must seek Him.

2. “To gaze” is “to keep our eyes focused on Him.” He should always be in our sight. This keeps us on the right path and in a right relationship with Him.
Glorifying God
We glorify God because His love is better than life! His love, His provision, is better than what this earthly life provides.

Read Psalm 36:5-9. Answer the following:

How far does God’s love reach?

How far does His faithfulness reach?

What is His righteousness like?

What is His justice like?

What is priceless?

Who takes refuge in the shadow of His wings?

When refuge is taken in God, what do we feast on?

Where does God give us drink from?

In God we find the what?

In His light we see what?

God’s love is infinite and His faithfulness is eternal. His righteousness stands strong and majestic. His justice is deep, reaching all the hidden places we think we can hide from Him. His love is priceless, because it never fails. Everyone who seeks Him finds refuge in His strong arms. The Lord not only provides refuge for those who seek Him, He gives from the abundance of His house. We have access to all He has and when we drink from His living water, we are filled with delight in Him. The river of delights is supplied by the Fountain of Life ~ Jesus Christ ~ and we bask in His light. We see Him clearly when He is brought into plain view through our time with Him in prayer. He is magnified! When we live our lives for Him and in Him, He is magnified.

God’s love is infinite and His faithfulness is eternal!

Prayer Time
Go to your Prayer Journal and take this time to bow in prayer, allowing Him to be brought into plain view. Adjust the fine tuning of magnification by:

Recognizing God’s position. 

Honoring God by telling Him 

what you know to be true about Him. 

Celebrating God and all He has done. 

Extolling God.

Discussion Questions
1. “To dwell” means “to live our lives in the presence of God.” Do you dwell in the presence of the Holy One? What does that mean to you?

2. “To gaze” means “to keep our eyes focused on Him.” He should always be in our sight. This keeps us on the right path and in a right relationship with Jesus. How do we as believers in Jesus, keep our eyes focused on Him?

3. “To seek” means “to direct all our questions to God.” What are some of the things that you want direction from God? What are some things that are keeping you from receiving it?