Revelation 4:8-11
- Each
of these Living Beings had six wings, and the central sections of their wings
were covered with eyes. Day after day and night after night they kept on
saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty—the one who was, and is, and is to
come.” And when the Living Beings gave glory and honor
and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the
twenty-four Elders fell down before him and worshiped him, the Eternal Living
One, and cast their crowns before the throne, singing, “O Lord,
you are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have
created all things. They were created and called into being by your act of
will.”
John turns from delivering the pure words of God to the
churches…to describing the honor of peeking into heaven. He is given a
wonderful vision of Christ on his throne….glittering and shining in glory in an
array of beauty and color. He saw 4 living creatures that resembled things he
knew…but yet were nothing like anything he had ever known. He saw 24 elders that took their place around
the throne. The picture was completed with the sighting of 7 lighted lamps…which
he was told represented the seven fold spirit of God.
The thing that drew my thoughts this morning was the fact
that all of the living beings in John’s vision were praising and glorifying God
in some way. The Creatures spoke a repeated mantra of “Holy… Holy …Holy…the
Lord God Almighty…the one who is and was and is to come.” Then the elder joined
in with a chorus of, “O Lord, you are worthy
to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have created all
things. They were created and called into being by your act of will.”
My brain has always imagined my crossover into heaven as a
sort of reunion…..all the loved ones that have gone on before me welcoming me…hugging
me. The visons are always centered around
me and how wonderful and complete I will feel as I join them on the other side
of earth. John’s vision points out to my heart how very wrong I have been.
John sees a picture of how it will truly be…all creatures...everything
that God has created and honored with a place close to him…praising and glorifying
God. Everything will be about God. All my thoughts will finally be able to focus
completely on honoring him...giving the praise he deserves with no interruptions
form the world. I will be so overcome by his presence that I too will fall to
my knees and find a chorus of praise to sing for all eternity.
It gives this old woman cause to reflect on just how much praise
and honor I give to God now. I need to stop defining my praise to God in earthly
terms...and begin to understand how continual praise and honor to God can
increase my faith and strength to persevere through the hard times God is
allowing in the world today. Evil will not win in the end. All things will someday praise and honor God.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you are sovereign… and
that I am to be about praising you in everything that I say and do. Forgive me for letting the world distract me
once again into ever believing things are about me. Help me to focus more on
you and find more ways to honor and glorify you while I am still on this
earth. Amen.
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