Dave's Diary

This week we return to reflect on each of the three calls we have been considering. Today we ponder once more the call to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Daily Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

The apostle John was in exile on the island of Patmos as punishment for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, he was given a great vision of Jesus and of what he called “the things to come” (See 1:9-19). This vision was recorded in the book of Revelation. In the course of the vision, he is repeatedly shown glimpses of the throne room of heaven, and allowed to eavesdrop on the worship of those who have gathered around the glorious presence of God.

Revelation 7 is one such occasion, and it gives us a glimpse of a great multitude of people from every tribe, language and nation standing in honour before the throne of God and His Son Jesus, the Lamb of God. They shout out their praise to God and to the Lamb, and this praise is in turn echoed by all the heavenly beings who attend the throne of God. They fall down on their faces in worship before God and speak out their praise in deepest reverence (v.12):

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

Their worship shows us that the only proper response to the proclamation of God’s saving grace by the people of God is for all of heaven to fall down in worship. But, wonder above wonders, note the beautiful promise of the Lamb’s response to their worship: “The Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘He will lead them to springs of living water.’” (v.17, which is a quote of Isaiah 49:10).

The Lord’s promise to us on earth, that our worship is a means of grace which opens us up to drink deeply from the well of His Living Water is actually a foreshadowing of heaven. Whether on earth or in heaven, true, heartfelt worship brings us low before the LORD, and this places us in the right position to drink deeply of the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.

Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world! You graciously save us from sin and death when we repent and trust in You our Lord and God. May our praise arise before You today as a beautiful, sweet-smelling incense; and may our worship on earth, lead to a heavenly response of worship around Your throne of glory, now and forevermore. By Your grace, may our worship also position us to receive the life-giving blessing of Your Water of Life, refreshing and reviving us to the glory of Your Name. Amen.