He is Worthy of Our Praise

Scripture Reading

Revelation 4:7-11

7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Devotional

In this passage from Revelation, we have a brilliant image of heaven. There are four living creatures that are angelic beings who take on a specific attribute of Jesus who is seated on the throne. Each of the creatures represents the divine nature of God, but also ties a parallel between heaven and Earth.

The lion represents strength and royalty. It speaks to the divine nature of God. God is all powerful and rules over heaven and the earth. He has the power, authority, and wisdom to both rule and judge all of creation. This is further solidified by the fact he is sitting on the throne being praised by the four living creatures and 24 crowned elders, which represent all of humanity.

The ox represents the labor and servitude facet of God’s nature. He not only came down to the earth to redeem us, but he became one of us, and served us. He left heaven, came down to earth, to serve and save his own creation. This wasn’t just a labor of love, it was quite literally sacrificial love.

The man represents the human form of Jesus. He was both God and man at the same time. Jesus took on a form of man and lived his life without sin, which is the way God had intended man to live when he created Adam and Eve until sin came into the picture. When man was created, he dwelled in the presence of God and it wasn’t until man chose to sin that we could no longer dwell in the presence of the Lord.

Lastly, we see the eagle. The eagle represents the bridge between heaven and earth as birds dwell on earth but are given the ability to soar up high toward the heavens. Recall how the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove when he was baptized. When Jesus ascended back to heaven, the Holy Spirit descended and became a part of each of the believers. In that way, God dwells in and among us again.

While this scripture is very deep, God is reaffirming to us who he is and that he will fulfill all his promises to us to re-establish perfect unity between heaven and earth when he returns. Now that we better understand what the living creatures represent, let’s take a closer look at their actions. We see the living creatures/angels continuing to worship the Lord, praising his holiness, omnipotence, and unchanging nature. Followed by the 24 crowned elders representing humanity who are worshipping the Lord and praising him as the Creator and acknowledging that he deserves all the glory, honor, and power. Each of the elders is wearing a crown. Although their crowns were rewards from the Lord, they recognize that all the credit belongs to God and that is signified by the removing of their crowns and placing them before the throne. This worship never ceases. There is non-stop praising going on in heaven all day and all night. What an amazing sight that must be!

Although there is a lot of symbolism and depth to these versus, I hope it serves as a reminder that God is good, he’s almighty, he always keeps his word, and he is worthy of all the praise. Soon we will all be able to dwell in his presence and join in the praise beside the angels. No matter what circumstances you are facing today, remember who God is. He is your rock and your salvation. Let’s praise him in every circumstance because we have full confidence that he works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Also, I would like encourage you to take a moment to thank God and give him credit for what he's done in your life today. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for being a God who never gave up on his creation. Thank you for the reminder that we will be in perfect unity once more and can fully dwell in your presence again thanks to what Jesus has done and will do upon his return. You are a holy and righteous God. I praise you for what you’ve done, what you’re doing, and what you’re going to do. You are holy, holy, holy, and deserve all the glory, power, and honor forever. Amen.