Magnify - Carrying Christ With Expectation. Magnify the Lord in Prayer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx5g7JHeKZU

In Luke 1, we read the story of Mary encountering the angel Gabriel. “Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28). Scripture says she was troubled by what he said. She wondered what kind of greeting this was. And honestly, that makes sense. If an angel appeared to you and told you that God had chosen you to carry His purposes into the world, your mind would probably be blown too.

Yet here’s what’s striking to me. When we talk about the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us, when we talk about Christ living in us, most of us are not nearly as moved as we should be. Scripture says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). That is the gospel. God does not just want to be observed from a distance. He wants to dwell in us. He wants to make us His temple. Mary carried Jesus for nine months. We carry Him for a lifetime.

That reality changes the way we pray. Christian prayer should be hopeful. It should be filled with expectation. We are not talking to a distant God, hoping He might hear us someday. We are talking to the God who lives inside us by His Spirit. When I pray, I’m not trying to convince God to care. I’m talking to the One who already lives in me. That’s why prayer is meant to be joyful. That’s why it’s meant to be confident. That’s why it’s meant to be full of faith.

Mary didn’t have all the answers. Scripture says she pondered these things in her heart (Luke 1:29). She was confused. She didn’t fully understand what was happening. But she trusted God anyway. When Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her, she responded with humility: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). Her understanding hadn’t caught up yet, but her obedience had. “When we learn to magnify the Lord in prayer, our perspective shifts…”

There is something powerful about that. We often want clarity before obedience. Mary gave obedience before clarity. And because of that, she carried something holy. She carried something eternal. She carried something that would eventually be revealed to the world.

Later, when Mary visited Elizabeth, something shifted. John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). What Mary was carrying began to affect the people around her. That’s always how it works. When Christ is being formed in you, it never stays private. It overflows.

Then Mary says something that defines this whole message: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46–47). That word “magnifies” matters. It means to make something bigger. Not because God is small—He is infinite—but because our soul begins to see Him as He truly is. Our mind, will, and emotions begin to agree with His greatness.

Mary was literally carrying Jesus, and yet she said, “My soul makes Him bigger.” That’s what worship does. That’s what prayer does. That’s what surrender does. It makes God bigger in our awareness until His nature begins to show through our lives.

She went from asking, “How can this be?” to declaring, “All generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). That didn’t come from pride. It came from understanding favor. When you carry what God has placed inside you, your identity begins to shift. You stop trying to make life work on your own. You stop trying to be your own solution. You begin to trust His purposes.

So many people are exhausted because they are trying to fix everything themselves. But the Lord keeps saying, “I’ve got this.” He is Jehovah Shalom—our peace (Judges 6:24). He is faithful. He is present. He is near.

Mary teaches us that we don’t magnify God after everything works out. We magnify Him in the middle of the process. She didn’t know how pregnancy would feel. She didn’t know how people would respond. She didn’t know how Joseph would react. But she carried Jesus anyway. And she rejoiced anyway. That’s the invitation for us.

When life hurts, when things feel uncertain, when answers are unclear, we don’t quit carrying what God has placed inside us. We magnify the Lord. We rejoice in our spirit. We trust His nature. And as we do, His healing, His deliverance, His wholeness begins to be birthed through us.

Prayer starts there.

Before we ask, we behold.

Before we speak, we look.

Before we present requests, we acknowledge His greatness.

Jesus taught us this when He said, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). Honor comes before asking. Praise comes before petition. Relationship comes before requests.

Too often, we put our ask before our acknowledgement. We rush into God’s presence with a list and forget that He is a Father who desires intimacy. He wants our attention more than our agenda.

Mary understood this. She didn’t just carry Jesus physically. She carried Him in her soul. Her mind agreed with God. Her will submitted to God. Her emotions rejoiced in God.

That’s what it means to magnify the Lord.

When we behold Him, our fear gets smaller. Our problems get smaller. Our anxiety gets smaller. Not because they disappear instantly, but because God becomes bigger in our vision.

Scripture says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8). Heaven is constantly magnifying Him. And when we join that worship on earth, something shifts inside us.

Prayer is not talking at God.

It is turning toward Him.

It is beholding Him.

It is agreeing with Him.

It is delighting in Him.

And when we do, He reshapes our desires. He strengthens our faith. He forms Christ more fully in us.

John the Baptist said it first: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Before the cross. Before the resurrection. Before the miracles. He said, “Look at Him.” That is where prayer begins.

Look at Him.

Magnify Him.

Carry Him.

Let His life be formed in you.

And let His presence overflow through you.

At Riverside Church, we believe every person is created to encounter God, be transformed, and reveal Jesus to the world. These teachings are part of that journey.

Learn more about our vision at onechurchqc.org/vision, browse additional messages at onechurchqc.org/teachings, or visit onechurchqc.org for service times and next steps.

If you’re looking for a Bible-based, Spirit-filled church in the Davenport and Quad Cities area, we invite you to join us in person and experience God’s presence for yourself.