Key Passage: Revelation 4:8–5:14
Devotional:
Every home has a culture. Growing up, I thought I was a quiet person. It wasn’t until I attended college that I realized I actually was not quiet at all. It was only in the context of my home culture—a large, rambunctious, slightly chaotic, and VERY LOUD family—that I seemed quiet. When my friend, an only child from a very well-ordered home, came to visit, she felt so uncomfortable that she stated she would never willfully visit again. She didn’t understand my home culture.
Revelation 4-5 gives a picture of the throne room of Heaven, where there is loud, incessant praise from a multitude of humans and heavenly creatures. Here, we begin to catch a glimpse of the worship culture of our heavenly home.
The author, John the Beloved (Jesus’s disciple and close friend), opens with a beautifully detailed description of God the Father seated on His throne and Jesus portrayed as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. The worshippers, comprised of majestic and somewhat terrifying (Full of eyes!) heavenly beings—elders, myriads and myriads of angels, and all the creatures of the world—continually proclaim His worthiness, holiness, and glory. This peek into heaven gives us an understanding of the contents of our praise. There, we see the worshippers bowed low, falling down in worship before the Almighty God, overwhelmed in humility upon encountering His holiness. With their posture, they acknowledge that He alone is worthy of all praise.
In Revelation 5:9-10, the elders praise Jesus for His finished work on the cross. The content of their praise forever rehearses the work of the Gospel. In Revelation 4:11, God the Father is praised for His work in creation. In John 4:4, Jesus, speaking to the woman at the well, says, “’The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.’”
The worship culture of our heavenly home is full of loud singing, proclaiming the truth of God—His holy character, His unending goodness, His marvelous and eternal glory, the account of the Gospel, and the humble response in spirit. When we encounter the truth of God, it ought to lead to our own humility and His exaltation. This passage points to the unending repetition of this doxological cycle (truth, humility, praise, repeat) as the overwhelming culture of our heavenly home.
Song Reflection: “The joy in your presence it won't fade away/My voice won't grow tired of all of this praise/We'll never stop singing for infinite days”
Application Question: Meditate on the truth of God’s character. Write down whatever comes to mind. How will you respond in humility and praise to the truth of God today? Further Reading: Isaiah 6
Written by Alexandra Gibson
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