Praising God as Worthy
Today’s passage: Revelation 4:9–11
Focus verse: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.” (Revelation 4:11)
The four living creatures have affirmed God as holy, holy, holy. The twenty-four elders are there too. What are they doing as the four living creatures chant their praise? Let’s first consider the role of an elder.
When I think of an elder, I picture someone in a leadership position directing the activities of others and offering sage advice. In my mind, an elder is wiser than all others.
We respect these elders with God-honoring awe for the position the Almighty has placed them in.
Yet we never see the twenty-four elders in Revelation leading others or offering wise advice. They seem to have but one function, one purpose. They worship Father God and his Son, Jesus, our Savior.
Each time the four living creatures call out their praise to the Father, the twenty-four elders respond by dropping from their thrones to bow down to the eternal God in reverent worship.
This cycle repeats: the four living creatures praise God with their words and the twenty-four elders follow them by praising God with their actions.
At some point, however, the twenty-four elders dare to approach the throne of God. They’ve already fallen prostrate before him, so it’s unlikely they’ll stand to walk toward him.
Instead, we can imagine them crawling in their reverent approach to the Almighty. Upon arriving at God’s feet, they take off their gold crowns and lay them before their Lord.
Having given him their most exquisite gifts, they now add their verbal praise: “You are worthy, God, to receive glory, honor, and power. This is because you created everything through the strength of your will.”
The twenty-four elders, along with the four living creatures, worship God with their words of praise. In addition, the twenty-four elders worship God through their actions as they bow before him in admiration.
They conclude their worship by giving him their gold crowns, representing their position of authority and power.
They give him their most valued possessions. And God deserves it.
Questions:
- How does our view of an elder compare with what these elders do in heaven?
- How can we better worship God like the twenty-four elders?
- How well do we do at praising God as worthy?
- What do we think about God’s glory, honor, and power?
- What can we do today through our words, actions, and gifts to let him know how we feel?
[Discover more about the twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:10, 5:8, 11:16, and 19:4.]
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Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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