We face loss of many kinds. We can lament together, and yet we are united in praise as we magnify our Lord, knowing that He is indeed a good and perfect Father.
I penned these words after attending an online service for a man of God who truly magnified the Lord in thought, word, and deed. I grieved with those who mourned the loss of a good and faithful servant, Rev. Randy Jost. These thoughts are dedicated to a life well-lived for the Lord. As his dear friend, Dr. Rick Reed shared, Randy was “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,” and his labour has not been in vain.
The word magnify can be used positively or negatively. We can magnify our troubles until the small becomes distorted, especially if we focus too closely. It’s like what can happen if you try to magnify a photo until it becomes too pixilated. I think our current realities have presented a particular challenge to us in magnifying the negative.
Another choice is to consider our blessings as we magnify the Lord! Often, music sweeps our souls in wonder as “we praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving” (Ps. 69:30). Pastor Randy had a gift for bringing God’s people into this place of worship. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Ps. 34). The Lord’s beauty is magnified through the grace and peace that radiates from us. God’s joy radiated from Randy as soon as he entered a room.
Many words describe this humble man who walked with God. The first words that come to mind are gentle and kind. It is a testimony to a man who magnified the Lord by walking the walk, faithfully, with true devotion and integrity. Words from Scripture show how Jesus was magnified through Randy’s life - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22,23). Randy would not have wanted attention focused on himself; he would have wanted the Lord to be magnified, as shared with his pastor a few days before his passing, when he ever so softly said, “It’s just the Lord.”
I am questioning whether Jesus is truly magnified in my life, and I reflect on the lyrics Randy sang so beautifully in his deep baritone voice, “Oh, I want to know You more.”
This is how our lives can glorify our Lord. When we truly know Him, then our lives will reflect His love and kindness to others. Then, as demonstrated in Randy’s testimony, we will “see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” (Psalm 34:8).
“Lord, as we come to know You more, may our lives magnify Your Holy name.”
- April 30, 2021 – the day of Randy Jost's funeral
Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.