Guinness World Records.com cites that the magnifying glass was invented by the Franciscan friar and scholar, Roger Bacon, in Oxford, UK. The first mention of its use was in 1268. He adapted its use as primitive spectacles, allowing scholars with failing eyesight to continue their work.
The magnifying glass however has been the basis on which science of sight and even other lenses has developed. As the magnifying glass allows for one to see an object in greater detail, imagine being under God’s magnifying glass. One wonders what extra detail would be found, for our sickness, disease, troubles, qualms, and assumptions. Jesus says in Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.
There are positive rewards when one enters the private space of magnification through prayer. First, doing introspection, sin is magnified as a splinter and can be easily removed and washed clean by God Himself through Jesus. Second, God magnifies the great qualities one has so that these can be used throughout the day to build and comfort others. God brings balance between the seen and unseen, then one grows where he has prepared the ground.
Dear Lord, magnify anything in me that should be removed. Yet help me see and use the qualities you have instilled in me to be a good steward in God’s Kingdom. Make me a blessing to those around me, Amen. Dr Cliff Ferguson – Shalom Centurion.