[Originally preached 13 April, 2003]
Revelation 4
This morning we are ready to move on into a new section of Revelation. This is going to be interesting because some of the symbols are going to be more subtle and intricate, and far less obvious than the ones in the first part of the book. So let’s see how we do.
Let’s start by considering what’s going on. John is called up by a voice. ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ Now, this neatly follows what John was told back near the beginning of the book. Back in the first chapter Jesus told him,
Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. Revelation 1:19
He’s written what he saw, the vision of Jesus, as well as the things that are, the situations of the seven churches. Now, he’s ready to write about the things that occur from that point on, what the voice in our text calls, ‘what must take place after this’. We’re right on schedule. And yet, our text isn’t about any such things. We’re shown something quite different. We don’t get to the things that ‘must take place after this’ until chapter 6. And what are these things? There are the famous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who represent conquest, war, famine and death. We’re going to hear about how the saints are going to be martyred and about natural disasters that will plague the world as well as lots of other events. These are the things that ‘must take place after this’. But it is key that, before we get to these, we know how to understand their significance. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the four horsemen roam about? And so, John is given a context in which to understand these events. And he is given this context so that he can pass it on to us. John is brought up to heaven to understand what he is going to see afterward.
It’s important that we understand the effect of John being transported heavenward. John is given a heavenly perspective on the affairs of life. The curtains are pulled back for John – and for us – so that we can get a peek behind the scenes of history. So, is it a good thing or a bad thing that an honest man is murdered? If the honest man was Jesus then, ultimately, it was a very good thing. How do we know that? We have a heavenly perspective on what happened at the cross. We’ll need that heavenly perspective if we are going to be able to make heads or tails of this life. John is being called to be a prophet. He is going to speak to the Church about the things that she faces. But it will do no good just to give us a list of events. What is needed is an interpretation of those events, an interpretation from a heavenly perspective. Remember that the book of Revelation is intended to be an aid to the Church as she deals with life in a very fallen world. Simply knowing a list of facts ahead of time won’t help. What will help is an explanation of those facts, an explanation of what is going on.
Now, let’s take a look at the vision itself. What do we see? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that what John sees is a vision of God. So, what does He look like? How tall is He? What’s the color of His hair? John says nothing about these sorts of things and rightly so. When Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, he saw no form. John sees no form. How apt! After all, what would someone see if he did see God? God is not like us. Even the Children’s Catechism points this out. ‘God is a spirit and He doesn’t have a body like men.’ God is not described. Instead, we see different symbols to convey something of what He is like. So, what did John see? He saw the radiance of light, bright and colorful light, as it was shining through gems. Then there was the rainbow around the throne. A rainbow is a reminder of the days of Noah when God made a covenant with His people. The rainbow highlights the gracious covenant that God has with His people. Then there is the crashing thunder and the flashing lightning. We’ve already talked about the significance of the noise level back in John’s first vision.
So, what do we have? What is being portrayed here? John must have experienced something of a push/pull. On the one hand, there was the bright and flashing lights. Paul’s words help us here.
[He] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:15-16
Add to this tremendous display all the noise of the booming thunder. Put yourself in John’s shoes. What would you feel? You would feel fear. That’s what the people felt at Mount Sinai when they experienced many of the same things - fear. And yet, on the other hand, there were the beautiful colors of the light coming through the gems. There was the cheering reminder of the grace of God in the rainbow. What’s this about? A Psalm helps here.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4
John must have been drawn forward by the beauty of his God. Do you see why I said that there must have been a sense of push/pull? On the one hand, there is the awe, even fear, of the great and glorious and terrifying God. And yet, on the other hand, there is the beauty of our God that captivates our hearts. Unbelievers are baffled by this. How can you fear God and love Him at the same time? But we will both fear Him more and love Him more as we get to know Him better.
Let’s move on to the bit of furniture in the vision: the throne. It’s the first thing that John sees. Now, I should think that the symbolism here is clear. Who sits on a throne but a king? Here, we have the thought of rule, authority, sovereignty. Time for another Psalm.
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man. Psalm 11:4
John is about to be shown ‘what must take place after this’. But he won’t be seeing these things from the perspective of everyday living. Rather, he’ll view these things from the perspective of God’s throne room, the place of God’s absolute authority. So, for example, when conquest, war, famine and death strike the Church, John knows why. God sent them. That radically changes how we view such things.
What else do we see in the vision? There are the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. Who are these? While there is some discussion about this – as with most of the images of Revelation – it seems to me that what we have here are angels. First, the four creatures. These are not just any angels. They are cherubim. Now, for lots of people, if you say ‘cherub’ they think of these cute, little baby angels. Let me tell you that there is nothing cute about a cherub. The first time we meet them is at the gate to the Garden of Eden. God wanted to make sure that Adam and Eve did not return to the Garden. So, what did He do? He stationed two of these angels with swords of flame. They were a very clear message: ‘Keep Out!’ They show up in Ezekiel as the angels who carry God’s throne. Then you’ll find them on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant as well as escorting God into battle in Psalm 18. They are other places also. If God were a human ruler, the cherubim would be His elite guard. These are the guys you don’t want to mess with. These are some fearsome angels. And then, we have the twenty-four elders. These angels are seated on their own thrones. Again, if God were a human ruler, these angels would be His council of advisors. Again a Psalm.
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? Psalm 89:6-7
This is an apt picture of God’s throne room from which He rules the worlds.
Now, does God need an elite guard? Does He need a council of advisors? Obviously not. The imagery is for our sake. How would you have felt if you stumbled into the Situation Room in the basement of the White House, say about two or three weeks ago? First, there are the Secret Service agents whom you know could kill you with just a look. Then there are all the advisors, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and others. Then at the head of the table, there’s President Bush. As you enter, everybody stops and looks at you. A little intimidating, I should think, no? Among other things, the vision is intended to impress upon us our smallness – not just physically but in every way – in comparison to our God.
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Psalm 39:5
What is man in comparison to the Almighty King?
But let’s continue looking. What are the elite guard and the heavenly advisors doing? Are they guarding or advising? No! They are worshipping! This is where that illustration about the Situation Room falters. John enters the throne room, but no one turns to look. All eyes are on God. The throne room from which the universe is controlled is a place of worship, intense, glorious and never-ending worship. So, along with the booming thunder and the flashing lights there is singing, the singing of praise to God.
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" Revelation 4:8
Then we hear from the twenty-four elders.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11
The angels are enraptured with their God, and their worship shows it. The four living creatures praise their eternal God for His holiness. He is separate from all of this. He is different. He is holy. The four creatures know that because of His absolute holiness, God is pure righteousness in His person and pure righteousness in all His actions. The twenty-four elders are awed by God as the Creator. They are convinced that He is worthy of their worship because they know that He has created all things out of nothing. He didn’t just take what was there and re-form it, which is all that we can do. God started with nothing, not even empty space, and ended up with all that we see and much more. Together these angels worship the Almighty Creator who does all things well.
Now, we’ve actually only looked at half of the vision. The rest of it is chapter five. That will have to wait until next time. But let’s draw out some thoughts based on what we have seen so far. Remember that all of this is a prelude for the rest of the book. It is to be a context for the revelation of the events of history that the Church lives through. So, how does it provide that context? How does all of this help us as we strive to be a faithful church in this fallen world.
Let’s go back to something in verse one. The voice talked about the things that ‘must’ take place, not ‘will’ take place, but ‘must’ take place. That ‘must’ fits. Where is John? He is in the throne room of the sovereign God. What John is going to be shown is God’s plan for His Church in this world, the things that He will most definitely bring about. Now, how does knowing this help? We know that the four horsemen have arrived. Martyrs are still dying. Why do these things happen? God did it. We know that saints get caught up in the midst of famine. And some die. Why have these things happen? God did it. We know that a handful of fanatics flew some planes into the World Trade Center. There must have been some true believers among their victims. Why did these things happen? God did it. Whatever happens - however evil! - it’s all part of the plan. It’s all included in the things that ‘must’ take place. Life is not out of control. Everything is moving right along according to plan. That includes large events like the war in Iraq as well as small events like your latest head cold. All is part of God’s plan.
Now, if we leave it that way we are like the Muslims for whom the plan of God is mere blind fate. God just wills things. And it’s just too bad if you get hurt in the process. But that is not the Gospel. Remember who our God is. He is the Holy One. And though He will use evil as a tool, His plan is not evil. It is good and right and holy. Our God is also a covenant-keeping God. Remember the rainbow. He will be faithful to His Church. He will not neglect nor forget her. He will bless her. By the time that we get to the end of the story, it will most certainly have a happy ending for us all. The Church will be completely victorious over all the evil that we now see. This is nothing like blind fate. God’s plan is good. It is good for us, His Church. What a great comfort this is to the saints of God as we face great troubles in this life. Knowing that the plan, though filled with evil, is good and that the ending is happy provides tremendous support as we work at persevering in this present evil age. [Galatians 1.4] We are enabled to persevere through the hardships because we know the plan is good and that it ends well. Our God is in control and He controls all things with us in mind.
Let me offer another thought from what we’ve seen. The key issue of this chapter, of the whole book of Revelation, the key issue of all of life, in fact, is worship. Whom or what will you worship? There is no question in all of history that is more important than that one. The first of the Ten Commandments deals with whom you are to worship. This was the issue that the prophets were constantly dealing with as the covenant-breakers in Israel went after one false god after another. It is the issue that the Church still needs to wrestle with today. Jesus warned us about the dangers of worshipping the pleasures of this life. That is a major issue for people like us who live amidst such immense wealth. The key issue of life is whom or what will you worship? Sad to say, all too often in the history of the Church, the saints were enticed to worship what was not the true God. Too often in the history of the Church, this worship led to fatal results. Listen to something from the end of Revelation.
The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Revelation 21:7-8
John is not writing about the sad fate of the pagans here at the end of his book. He is writing about those who professed to be Christians and yet compromised. And why did they give in to cowardice and become faithless and all the rest? They were fooled into worshipping that which was not God. Something other than Jesus was their chief joy. The worship of their hearts was focused elsewhere. And when it came time to make the hard decisions in the face of some affliction – faithful discipleship or compromise – they chose foolishly. They did not love Jesus more than life. [See Revelation 12.11.] The most important question of life is, ‘Whom will you worship?’ We will see this theme again in Revelation.
My last thought comes out of the praise song of the twenty-four elders as they worship the God who created all things. Listen to how the old KJV rendered their song.
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
Did you notice why all things were created? They were created for God’s pleasure. They were created for God to do with as He pleases. We are included in that ‘all things’. The very reason for our existence is to be used in whatever way God wants. When we sing the song that comes from this text – ‘Thou Art Worthy’ – we are telling God that any way that He wants to use us in His plan is fine with us. Might it be that our lives will be filled with struggle and suffering? If that’s your plan, Father, we are ready to endure it. Will we have to deal with lots of death, the death of loved ones and close friends? We are yours, O Lord, to do with as You desire. Because of our refusal to compromise, could our days end in great poverty or might our children suffer tremendous hardship? Whatever You want, Lord. You are the Almighty God, the One who created us for Your own good purposes. We acknowledge that and worship You for it. And we do that because we are convinced that You are worthy of such worship.
Revelation 4
This morning we are ready to move on into a new section of Revelation. This is going to be interesting because some of the symbols are going to be more subtle and intricate, and far less obvious than the ones in the first part of the book. So let’s see how we do.
Let’s start by considering what’s going on. John is called up by a voice. ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ Now, this neatly follows what John was told back near the beginning of the book. Back in the first chapter Jesus told him,
Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. Revelation 1:19
He’s written what he saw, the vision of Jesus, as well as the things that are, the situations of the seven churches. Now, he’s ready to write about the things that occur from that point on, what the voice in our text calls, ‘what must take place after this’. We’re right on schedule. And yet, our text isn’t about any such things. We’re shown something quite different. We don’t get to the things that ‘must take place after this’ until chapter 6. And what are these things? There are the famous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who represent conquest, war, famine and death. We’re going to hear about how the saints are going to be martyred and about natural disasters that will plague the world as well as lots of other events. These are the things that ‘must take place after this’. But it is key that, before we get to these, we know how to understand their significance. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the four horsemen roam about? And so, John is given a context in which to understand these events. And he is given this context so that he can pass it on to us. John is brought up to heaven to understand what he is going to see afterward.
It’s important that we understand the effect of John being transported heavenward. John is given a heavenly perspective on the affairs of life. The curtains are pulled back for John – and for us – so that we can get a peek behind the scenes of history. So, is it a good thing or a bad thing that an honest man is murdered? If the honest man was Jesus then, ultimately, it was a very good thing. How do we know that? We have a heavenly perspective on what happened at the cross. We’ll need that heavenly perspective if we are going to be able to make heads or tails of this life. John is being called to be a prophet. He is going to speak to the Church about the things that she faces. But it will do no good just to give us a list of events. What is needed is an interpretation of those events, an interpretation from a heavenly perspective. Remember that the book of Revelation is intended to be an aid to the Church as she deals with life in a very fallen world. Simply knowing a list of facts ahead of time won’t help. What will help is an explanation of those facts, an explanation of what is going on.
Now, let’s take a look at the vision itself. What do we see? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that what John sees is a vision of God. So, what does He look like? How tall is He? What’s the color of His hair? John says nothing about these sorts of things and rightly so. When Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, he saw no form. John sees no form. How apt! After all, what would someone see if he did see God? God is not like us. Even the Children’s Catechism points this out. ‘God is a spirit and He doesn’t have a body like men.’ God is not described. Instead, we see different symbols to convey something of what He is like. So, what did John see? He saw the radiance of light, bright and colorful light, as it was shining through gems. Then there was the rainbow around the throne. A rainbow is a reminder of the days of Noah when God made a covenant with His people. The rainbow highlights the gracious covenant that God has with His people. Then there is the crashing thunder and the flashing lightning. We’ve already talked about the significance of the noise level back in John’s first vision.
So, what do we have? What is being portrayed here? John must have experienced something of a push/pull. On the one hand, there was the bright and flashing lights. Paul’s words help us here.
[He] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:15-16
Add to this tremendous display all the noise of the booming thunder. Put yourself in John’s shoes. What would you feel? You would feel fear. That’s what the people felt at Mount Sinai when they experienced many of the same things - fear. And yet, on the other hand, there were the beautiful colors of the light coming through the gems. There was the cheering reminder of the grace of God in the rainbow. What’s this about? A Psalm helps here.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4
John must have been drawn forward by the beauty of his God. Do you see why I said that there must have been a sense of push/pull? On the one hand, there is the awe, even fear, of the great and glorious and terrifying God. And yet, on the other hand, there is the beauty of our God that captivates our hearts. Unbelievers are baffled by this. How can you fear God and love Him at the same time? But we will both fear Him more and love Him more as we get to know Him better.
Let’s move on to the bit of furniture in the vision: the throne. It’s the first thing that John sees. Now, I should think that the symbolism here is clear. Who sits on a throne but a king? Here, we have the thought of rule, authority, sovereignty. Time for another Psalm.
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man. Psalm 11:4
John is about to be shown ‘what must take place after this’. But he won’t be seeing these things from the perspective of everyday living. Rather, he’ll view these things from the perspective of God’s throne room, the place of God’s absolute authority. So, for example, when conquest, war, famine and death strike the Church, John knows why. God sent them. That radically changes how we view such things.
What else do we see in the vision? There are the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. Who are these? While there is some discussion about this – as with most of the images of Revelation – it seems to me that what we have here are angels. First, the four creatures. These are not just any angels. They are cherubim. Now, for lots of people, if you say ‘cherub’ they think of these cute, little baby angels. Let me tell you that there is nothing cute about a cherub. The first time we meet them is at the gate to the Garden of Eden. God wanted to make sure that Adam and Eve did not return to the Garden. So, what did He do? He stationed two of these angels with swords of flame. They were a very clear message: ‘Keep Out!’ They show up in Ezekiel as the angels who carry God’s throne. Then you’ll find them on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant as well as escorting God into battle in Psalm 18. They are other places also. If God were a human ruler, the cherubim would be His elite guard. These are the guys you don’t want to mess with. These are some fearsome angels. And then, we have the twenty-four elders. These angels are seated on their own thrones. Again, if God were a human ruler, these angels would be His council of advisors. Again a Psalm.
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? Psalm 89:6-7
This is an apt picture of God’s throne room from which He rules the worlds.
Now, does God need an elite guard? Does He need a council of advisors? Obviously not. The imagery is for our sake. How would you have felt if you stumbled into the Situation Room in the basement of the White House, say about two or three weeks ago? First, there are the Secret Service agents whom you know could kill you with just a look. Then there are all the advisors, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and others. Then at the head of the table, there’s President Bush. As you enter, everybody stops and looks at you. A little intimidating, I should think, no? Among other things, the vision is intended to impress upon us our smallness – not just physically but in every way – in comparison to our God.
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Psalm 39:5
What is man in comparison to the Almighty King?
But let’s continue looking. What are the elite guard and the heavenly advisors doing? Are they guarding or advising? No! They are worshipping! This is where that illustration about the Situation Room falters. John enters the throne room, but no one turns to look. All eyes are on God. The throne room from which the universe is controlled is a place of worship, intense, glorious and never-ending worship. So, along with the booming thunder and the flashing lights there is singing, the singing of praise to God.
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" Revelation 4:8
Then we hear from the twenty-four elders.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11
The angels are enraptured with their God, and their worship shows it. The four living creatures praise their eternal God for His holiness. He is separate from all of this. He is different. He is holy. The four creatures know that because of His absolute holiness, God is pure righteousness in His person and pure righteousness in all His actions. The twenty-four elders are awed by God as the Creator. They are convinced that He is worthy of their worship because they know that He has created all things out of nothing. He didn’t just take what was there and re-form it, which is all that we can do. God started with nothing, not even empty space, and ended up with all that we see and much more. Together these angels worship the Almighty Creator who does all things well.
Now, we’ve actually only looked at half of the vision. The rest of it is chapter five. That will have to wait until next time. But let’s draw out some thoughts based on what we have seen so far. Remember that all of this is a prelude for the rest of the book. It is to be a context for the revelation of the events of history that the Church lives through. So, how does it provide that context? How does all of this help us as we strive to be a faithful church in this fallen world.
Let’s go back to something in verse one. The voice talked about the things that ‘must’ take place, not ‘will’ take place, but ‘must’ take place. That ‘must’ fits. Where is John? He is in the throne room of the sovereign God. What John is going to be shown is God’s plan for His Church in this world, the things that He will most definitely bring about. Now, how does knowing this help? We know that the four horsemen have arrived. Martyrs are still dying. Why do these things happen? God did it. We know that saints get caught up in the midst of famine. And some die. Why have these things happen? God did it. We know that a handful of fanatics flew some planes into the World Trade Center. There must have been some true believers among their victims. Why did these things happen? God did it. Whatever happens - however evil! - it’s all part of the plan. It’s all included in the things that ‘must’ take place. Life is not out of control. Everything is moving right along according to plan. That includes large events like the war in Iraq as well as small events like your latest head cold. All is part of God’s plan.
Now, if we leave it that way we are like the Muslims for whom the plan of God is mere blind fate. God just wills things. And it’s just too bad if you get hurt in the process. But that is not the Gospel. Remember who our God is. He is the Holy One. And though He will use evil as a tool, His plan is not evil. It is good and right and holy. Our God is also a covenant-keeping God. Remember the rainbow. He will be faithful to His Church. He will not neglect nor forget her. He will bless her. By the time that we get to the end of the story, it will most certainly have a happy ending for us all. The Church will be completely victorious over all the evil that we now see. This is nothing like blind fate. God’s plan is good. It is good for us, His Church. What a great comfort this is to the saints of God as we face great troubles in this life. Knowing that the plan, though filled with evil, is good and that the ending is happy provides tremendous support as we work at persevering in this present evil age. [Galatians 1.4] We are enabled to persevere through the hardships because we know the plan is good and that it ends well. Our God is in control and He controls all things with us in mind.
Let me offer another thought from what we’ve seen. The key issue of this chapter, of the whole book of Revelation, the key issue of all of life, in fact, is worship. Whom or what will you worship? There is no question in all of history that is more important than that one. The first of the Ten Commandments deals with whom you are to worship. This was the issue that the prophets were constantly dealing with as the covenant-breakers in Israel went after one false god after another. It is the issue that the Church still needs to wrestle with today. Jesus warned us about the dangers of worshipping the pleasures of this life. That is a major issue for people like us who live amidst such immense wealth. The key issue of life is whom or what will you worship? Sad to say, all too often in the history of the Church, the saints were enticed to worship what was not the true God. Too often in the history of the Church, this worship led to fatal results. Listen to something from the end of Revelation.
The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Revelation 21:7-8
John is not writing about the sad fate of the pagans here at the end of his book. He is writing about those who professed to be Christians and yet compromised. And why did they give in to cowardice and become faithless and all the rest? They were fooled into worshipping that which was not God. Something other than Jesus was their chief joy. The worship of their hearts was focused elsewhere. And when it came time to make the hard decisions in the face of some affliction – faithful discipleship or compromise – they chose foolishly. They did not love Jesus more than life. [See Revelation 12.11.] The most important question of life is, ‘Whom will you worship?’ We will see this theme again in Revelation.
My last thought comes out of the praise song of the twenty-four elders as they worship the God who created all things. Listen to how the old KJV rendered their song.
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
Did you notice why all things were created? They were created for God’s pleasure. They were created for God to do with as He pleases. We are included in that ‘all things’. The very reason for our existence is to be used in whatever way God wants. When we sing the song that comes from this text – ‘Thou Art Worthy’ – we are telling God that any way that He wants to use us in His plan is fine with us. Might it be that our lives will be filled with struggle and suffering? If that’s your plan, Father, we are ready to endure it. Will we have to deal with lots of death, the death of loved ones and close friends? We are yours, O Lord, to do with as You desire. Because of our refusal to compromise, could our days end in great poverty or might our children suffer tremendous hardship? Whatever You want, Lord. You are the Almighty God, the One who created us for Your own good purposes. We acknowledge that and worship You for it. And we do that because we are convinced that You are worthy of such worship.
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