Worthy!

Worthy!

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11 KJV

In order to fully understand the context of today's extract, it is important to look at the entire chapter from which the verse is taken. John the Beloved had been banished to the Island of Patmos due to his faith in Christ. The people who banished him thought they had led him to his death, but before he died, John received some revelations about his own present day as well as the days to come. This is the thing about God: his gifts and grace do not respect location or logic; all he needs is a heart that is willing to seek after him. Check out all the men God used mightily in the Bible: Abraham, David, Paul and John. They were from various levels of society, with some educated and others mostly not, but there was no doubt about the imprint of God upon their lives. Would I surrender my life to God totally, like John here, so I can receive mighty revelations like he did? Can God trust me with deep treasures of his Word? 

John caught a glimpse of heaven, where God reigns. We may not fully understand the scope of all he saw and wrote down, because he used the materials that were available at his time to describe what he say, but there was no doubt about the Lordship, power and authority of the One who sat upon the throne. Everything that John saw centred on the throne. The One who sat on the throne was the force of attraction for everything else that was happening. If John had focused on the other amazing things that were happening around the throne, for example, the sea, clear as crystal, or the thunder and lightning proceeding out of the throne, or even the other thrones that surrounded the throne, or even the living creatures, he would have missed the essence of the Presence of the One who sat on the throne. 

As it was with John then, so it has to be with us now. We can get caught in the drama and action around worship services that we forget the essence and target of the worship Himself. We are not saying we should not prepare ourselves for worship, but we must not be so distracted by the preparation that we do not remember WHO and WHY we worship. The entire chapter 4 of Revelation speaks about the One who sat on the throne. Yes, there were several other personalities spoken about in the chapter, but there was no doubt as to the most important of them all: the One who sat on the throne. Do I know the One who sits on the throne? Have I truly met him, and does he know me as his own? Do I truly recognise his authority, power, dominion and Lordship? You see, it is not my acceptance that makes him Lord, but I only make my life easier when I recognise and embrace his authority. 

The One who sits on the throne is still very much on the throne. The essence of the chapter 4 hasn't changed at all; all of heaven recognise the Authority and Lordship of the One on the throne. The 24 elders, the 4 living creatures and the host of heaven all worship him. The 24 elders also have thrones and crowns, but they are not in any competition with the One who sits on the throne. When it comes to the One who sits on the throne, other thrones and crowns do not matter. Whatever it is I think I have achieved, it pales before the glory of the One who sits on the throne. Whatever applause or recognition any man may give me, it is inferior to the glory of the One who sits on the throne. If the whole of heaven recognises the power and authority of the One who sits on the throne, who am I to think I can deny or dent his authority and power? Is there anything I can do to change who God is?

And the whole of heaven has only one focus: the worship of the One who sits on the throne. His glory is such that he deserves to be worshipped. For all who have truly experienced him, you cannot but praise and worship him. The song today says God is the worthy to receive glory, honour and power. Some out of the many reasons why the One who is on the throne is worthy are given in the verse for today: He created all things for himself and for his pleasure. All the creatures who give him praise in heaven are the works of his hand, created for his pleasure. They serve and exist at his pleasure. They worship him out of hearts of appreciation; they do not need to be compelled or cajoled to praise him; the worship flows out of hearts that recognise the authority of the One who sits on the throne.

If this is the standard that we have been introduced to, can we do any less? Man wants a reason to worship God; when there is a call to worship God, he is easily distracted. The devil knows and understands the power of worship; he once led thousands upon thousands of angels to worship the One who sits on the throne. He will so anything possible to make sure I do not identify or take advantage of the benefits of worship. Today's extract is a reminder of why I am created, for whom I am created and what I was created to do. I was created to worship God and give him glory. My life will only have meaning when I live in the daily reality of that purpose. Every other thing must fade away in the light of that reality. Every other pursuit finds a basis in the light of that reality. John the Beloved was given the grace and opportunity to catch a glimpse of the unchallenged glory and power of the One who sits on the throne. If the will of God must be done on earth, as it is done in heaven, I must play my part. My life must be a visible and audible expression of the worship of the One who sits on the throne. That is the only service all of heaven offers, and as I prepare to join them when this earthly phase is over, I must make sure that God is glorified and worshipped in me, by me and because of me. Is this my daily reality? It is not too late to start; the One who sits on the throne is not going anywhere. He was worthy when John wrote these words, He is worthy now in our time, and he will remain worthy into eternity. It is a privilege to be called to worship this God; I don't take it for granted. God's time of favour is here.