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Devotional

A Window to the Worship to Come

by SHIRLEY RALSTON WORSHIPING GOD Purpose Serving joyfully Worshiping God
A Window to the Worship to Come
  • by SHIRLEY RALSTON
  • Comment
“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’”
Revelation 5:8-10

When we moved from the United States to the Middle East, I expected to have some restrictions placed on my religious freedoms. There were a few, but they didn’t hinder the thriving international church in my new home. Our city turned out to be a melting pot, one that included Christians from all over the world. Every Friday, hotel ballrooms all across the Emirates became a place of worship for believers from many different countries. 


My American worship experience had been rather homogenous. Worship now looked more like the redeemed people of every tribe, nation, and tongue described by the Apostle John in Revelation 5:8-10. Week after week, I participated in a foreshadowing of this passage, a time still to come when the heavenly hosts will worship the Lamb as they sing about the saved from all the nations on earth. Believers who are made to be “a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”(v. 10) 


Worshiping with God’s people, wherever you are serving in the world, is a window into the future. It will clarify your view of God’s eternal plan in a real and practical way. Maybe it will also give you a better perspective on your role in His plan as you share His saving message with others. Why? Because in John’s vision, the Gospel, “You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood” and the fruit of its spread through global work, “from every tribe and language and people and nation”(v. 9), reveal a future where you will have been a vital link in the chain. 


Be encouraged, dear sister! In this prophetic passage, you are present in two places: in the multitude of the redeemed and in the people you touch with the Gospel who will then be standing alongside you.  


“We will have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only a few short hours to win them.”  ― Amy Carmichael 


Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are worthy of all blessing and honor and glory. When we gather together for worship, you give us a glimpse of what the multitudes will be like on a much grander scale when you return. We look forward to who will be there worshiping with us on that day because of the saving message you have given us to convey. Amen.
Resources
Book: Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper This book is all about worship in the church and how worship promotes our efforts as global workers. It is a great foundational read and is theologically sound.
Song: Is He Worthy by Andrew Peterson Is He Worthy by Andrew Peterson is based on Revelation Chapter 5. The first time I heard this song I was deeply moved by the beauty of the melody and the depth of meaning in the lyrics. I feel like the lyrics are a return to the scripture-inspired hymns of old. The song inspires me to worship. It gives me hope.
Question for Reflection

The peoples of the world are mentioned several times in the book of Revelation (5:9, 7:9, 10:11, 11:9, 13:7, 14:6, 17:15). What do you think John’s reaction would have been to the broad diversity in people’s ethnicities that his first century eyes had never seen?

Comments
Shirley Ralston
March 22, 2021

I hate to stumble over my words, in verbal or in written form. It is hard work to properly express what I’m trying to communicate. I think about how hard it must have been for John to describe what he saw in his visions of the future, especially with no proper context. I assume that is why he uses the word “like” so much to describe the things he saw. What must he have thought about the people he saw, the Eskimo or the Inca? John was given a privilege granted to a select few in the arc of scripture, to see into the future. Scary to be sure, but I am thankful the Lord saw fit to use him to record the Revelation.