A Revelation Invitation

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:11-12 ESV)

In 2008 the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship. At about mid-season a friend shared with me his tickets to a Saturday afternoon game against the New York Knicks. This game pitted the best team in the league against the worst. No matter. I rarely get to see the Celtics play in person. And it’s always fun to see your team win. Except that they didn’t. The soon-to-be-champions played terribly losing a game everyone believed they were sure to win. It was disappointing to say the least.

You have probably heard it said, “There are no sure things in life.” This aphorism has much truth to it. A promising career is ended by a debilitating accident. A can’t miss investment goes bad. Even the best teams sometimes lose to the worst. There are no guarantees … except: God will bring justice and fairness to his creation. Evil will be judged, condemned and destroyed. The faithful will be rescued and rewarded. These certainties all flow from and are only possible through the One who sits on the throne in heaven. You would be right to say it’s a sure thing. Nothing could be more certain than the refrain, the seven-fold blessing, of this angelic chorus that begins and ends with Amen! So be it! Yes! It’s the Truth!

This heavenly choir of angels surrounds the entire scene including the (twenty-four) elders who represent the church of Christ, the people of God. People often picture a mighty gulf between heaven and earth. They envision a distant God observing humanity with mild indifference. But this scene says differently. The throne and the the four living creatures who sing God’s praises are before us. Worship brings us into God’s presence. The angelic host praise God from behind us. We, his earthly creatures, are in the middle of it all falling on our faces before him in worship. How intimately connected are heaven and earth. In worship our earthly existence is transported into this heavenly reality.

When the world around us becomes increasingly chaotic, when our circumstances go in directions that we never anticipated, when the uncertainties of life seem to rule us, let us turn to the one seated on the throne in worship assured of his sovereignty over creation, over our circumstances and over our destiny. Amen! And Amen!

O God of heaven, seated on the throne that rules the world, you are blessed. You are deserving of all praise. You are unchanging. Help me see you as you are so that I may have the surety in my life that my destiny and the world’s are safe in your mighty hand. Amen and amen!