Offer Ongoing Adoration to Our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer
The book of Revelation tells of John’s spirit being whisked into heaven. Four living creatures spend all their time—day and night—praising God.
They chant, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8, NIV).
The threefold repetition of holy is for emphasis. Father God, the Lord Almighty, is indeed most holy.
This is my go-to verse in the Bible. I quote it most every day, often multiple times. I do this to focus my thoughts on God and away from myself and the distractions of life.
Holy, Holy, Holy
When I praise God as holy, holy, holy, I don’t rush through it. I take my time. I don’t race through the repetition. Instead, I emphasize each appearance of holy. I want to dwell on it.
When I slow down, it becomes Holy . . . Holy . . . Holy.
But even that’s too fast. How about: Holy. Holy. Holy?
Or:
Holy
Holy
Holy
I tried timing it with my breathing, saying “Holy” with each exhale. But that took my attention away from God to focus on my respiration. That defeated the whole purpose.
Instead, I now envision waves crashing upon the shore. With each new wave comes one iteration of “Holy.” With the next wave, comes the next proclamation of “Holy.” A third wave brings a third declaration of God as “Holy.”
But we don’t need to stop at three. The waves continue to surge forward, with each one reminding me to praise God as “Holy.” The waves keep coming and the praise keeps going. I so love the imagery.
Though the tide will eventually reverse, and the waves stop, our praise of God shouldn’t.
Lord God Almighty
Praising God, as Holy, holy, holy is just the first part of this profound verse. The second portion expands our understanding of who he is.
He is Lord.
He is God.
He is Almighty.
In a spiritual sense, we understand Lord, as a reference to both the Father and to Jesus. They possess the ultimate power. They are sovereign.
God—as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is our Creator and Ruler. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
Referring to the one who sits on the throne as Almighty reminds us that he is supreme, along with omnipotent and sovereign.
As we recite this verse and meditate on it, we praise God for his amazing characteristics and overall awesomeness.
But there’s more.
Was, Is, and Is to Come
We wrap up with the confirmation that God existed in the past (that is, he was), exists now (he is), and will exist into the future (he is to come).
This reminds us of God’s eternal existence, one not bound by the space-time reality he created for us to live in.
Just as he was with us in our past, and is with us now, so he will be with us in the future.
This is one more reason why we praise him.
Continuous Praise
The four living creatures never stop chanting this. If this worship of God sounds familiar, recall Isaiah in the Old Testament, where the prophet recounts another instance of God praised as “Holy, holy, holy.” This time it by seraphim (Isaiah 6:2–3).
If the seraphim were praising God in Isaiah’s time, and the four living creatures are doing it centuries later in John’s vision, might God have been receiving continuous praise in between?
Might it still be happening today? Might we do the same thing when we go to heaven?
If so, we’re just getting started.
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.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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