Recently, while putting my seven-year-old son to bed, I was surprised by the presence of God. It had been a long day and the bedtime routine took longer than normal. Honestly, I was more than a bit frustrated, overtired, and ready for bed. Yet since I had made the commitment to always pray with and for my kids before bed, I prayed my typical bedtime blessing, despite being sluggish of heart. After my rather quick prayer over my son, and even though I was trying to hurry to bed, I felt prompted to ask him if he would like to pray. He enthusiastically said yes. And I wasn’t anticipating what happened next.

My son began praying a litany of thanksgiving prayers. “Thank You, God, for making us and the world. Thank You for making our eyes so we can see. Thank You for making our ears so we can hear. Thank You for making our noses so we can smell.” He went on to include thanking God for every one of our senses, abilities, and possessions. He moved to deeper matters, thanking Jesus for dying for our sins and always being with us. For several minutes he continued, never once asking God for anything, but thanking God for everything that came into his little mind.

What began as a cute prayer quickly cut to my heart. God was using the mouth of a child to preach—or rather, pray—the truth and perspective I needed at that moment. My impatience was cut off, my irritability was crowded out, and the presence of God began to warm my cold heart and ignite my tired mind.

As I was reflecting on the experience after I tucked my son in and went to bed, this Scripture flashed like a neon billboard in my mind’s eye:

“I will praise the name of God with a song, I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 69:30)

It’s key to notice two intentional choices that are declared in this short, yet deep verse. They shine brightly against the backdrop of a profound lament psalm, and they show us two ways we can develop a deeper awareness of and participation in God’s holy presence.

I Will Praise

On one hand, these two intentional choices are like two sides of the same coin. On the other hand, the order of the two is significant. The choice to specifically praise the name, or the revelation of God’s character, in song has a rich scriptural witness: the Israelites praising the name of their great Deliverer and Redeemer in Exodus 15 after their miraculous exodus; teenage Mary humbly exalting the Lord who chose her to bear the blessed Savior of the world in Luke 1:46-55; Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25-26 unashamedly worshiping even with the weight of shackles around their limbs, leading to both physical and spiritual liberation—there is much power in the praising of God’s might and matchless name. This still holds true for you and me.

It’s been said that those who sing pray twice. And as the revelation of God’s character demands a response, let us pause even right now and praise His name!

The intentional practice (or discipline) of praising the character of God through song can give the time and space needed for our heart to catch up with our mouth.

The intentional practice (or discipline) of praising the character of God through song can give the time and space needed for our heart to catch up with our mouth.

I Will Magnify

Indeed, the revelation of God’s name ought to lead us to thanksgiving. The psalmist expresses a profound truth here. David declares that God is magnified by our thanksgiving. It’s been observed that there are two types of magnification: microscopic and telescopic. The first one makes a small thing look bigger than it is. The second makes a big thing begin to look as big as it really is.

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 begin to look as big as He really is.”^[1]

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 begin to look as big as He really is.”

We often have too big a view of our circumstances, other people, or perhaps even ourselves and too little a view of God. We hold our circumstances under a microscope rather than holding up a telescope to God’s character. But thanksgiving does just that. The bottom line is that gratitude, or thanksgiving, is a lens to look through to see God as He really is.

Thanksgiving is a lens to look through to see God as He really is.

For this next week, I urge you to begin your day by writing down 3-7 things that you want to thank God for. I encourage you to express it in this way:

“God, I thank You that You have…” Expressing yourself, with thanksgiving to God, for past and even current things conveys gratitude.

“God, I thank You that You can…” Reminding yourself, with thanksgiving to God, of future possibilities, elicits faith as you trust in Him to bring it to pass.

So, what if you put these two intentional “I will” choices into action this next week and month? I have a hunch that you, too, might be surprised by thanksgiving and have the trajectory of your thoughts, desires, emotions, and will come into harmony with those of our Heavenly Father.

Copyright © 2024 Justin Jeppesen. All rights reserved.

^[1]https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-magnify-god#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20kinds%20of%20magnifying%3A%20microscope%20magnifying%20and%20telescope%20magnifying.