Verse of the Day for November 8

Verse 29 is about as honest as prayer gets. But I am poor and sorrowful. No dressing it up. Psalm 69 began with a man saying I sink in deep mire, and he has not climbed out yet.

Then, with nothing changed in his circumstances, he says I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

To magnify something is to make it look bigger so you can see it properly. A magnifying glass does not change the size of the thing, it changes how clearly you see it. Thanksgiving does that with God. When trouble fills the whole view, giving thanks brings him back into focus.

Verse 31 adds a small surprise. A song pleases God better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The details are there on purpose, the horns and hoofs of a grown animal, the most expensive offering a farmer could bring. A poor man's song outweighs it.

If you are stuck on a decision and cannot see the way, try this before you write another list of pros and cons at the kitchen table. Thank God for three true things about him. It will not answer every question, but it will put him back at the right size.

Magnifying God does not make him bigger, it lets you see how big he already is.

A poor and sorrowful song is still the offering he prefers.