What happens when we worship
Like many things in being a follower of Jesus, worship is a simplistically complex practice we have. I say simplistically complex because worship itself is simple. Expressing your adoration to the Lord. Recognizing who He is, what He’s done and knowing that you need Him. Here’s where the complex part comes in, the more you seek God, the more you will find Him. Finding God is not a one time thing. It’s not like hide and seek where you find Him and you’re done. It is a continual, daily adventure. I love the picture that is painted in Revelation of worship in heaven. Angels and creatures who have been in heaven for all of eternity and have never experienced a time that they have been without the Father are constantly overwhelmed by their discovery of God.
“Out from the throne *came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” And when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.””
Revelation 4:5-11
I love reading about what heaven is like, not only because it’s heaven and where we as followers of Jesus are destined but also because when Jesus taught the disciples to pray and said to pray, ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ So if we are to pray that, we need to know what happening in heaven! And the answer is worship. Day and night worship. The powerful thing that I see in this picture of heaven is that the creatures and the elders are not only just seeing God and worshiping Him but there is a response. When we see God and worship Him there is a response of some kind that has to take place. Here we see these crazy looking creatures that are full of eyes, so clearly they see God, that can not stop responding to seeing God with ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’ They are constantly looking and God and constantly being overwhelmed by Him. Constantly discovering who He is. Constantly seeing His holiness. And then the Elders join in and throw down their crowns and respond ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.’ It’s such a beautiful picture of worship! I can’t read these scriptures about heaven and not be moved to tears every time. You might be asking yourself ‘but what does that have to do with me?’ If the worship and discovery of God causes a response in these creatures and elders who have been in the presence of God for all of eternity then I promise you that the worship and discovery of God in our lives should cause a response. Worship leads to discovery and discovery leads to worship. It’s a never ending, beautiful and amazing cycle.
