Daily Devotions
An Unbroken Circle of Praise
Reading for December 6th: 2 Corinthians 10-13
Weekly reading for December 6-12: Revelation 1-5
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb...
Revelation 5:8
When we gather for worship this morning, we will blend our voices together in praise and worship of our God and of the Lamb. However, the worship on earth (that we participate in) is only a small fraction of the worship taking place. We will be joining in with the worship that will be going on in heaven. And according to Revelation 5, that worship never ends.
I remember Dennis Allan making the observation in a sermon that there is an unbroken circle of praise in this chapter. It begins with the four living creatures and twenty-four elders falling down in worship in verses 8-10. That triggers a larger circle of praise from an innumerable host of angels in verses 11-12, which leads to an even larger circle which includes "every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea" in verse 13, as they say, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" This pronouncement of praise then causes the cycle to repeat itself in verse 14: "And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped."
The circle of praise John presents goes like this:
Four living creatures
Twenty-four elders
Angels
Every creature
Four living creatures
Twenty-four elders
Dennis Allan described this pattern as like the waves of the sea which continue to roll onto the beach. It goes on and on as an unbroken circle of praise.
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!"
