I cannot imagine what would happen to my priorities if I faced death. Would I hold onto them or abandoned them for whatever I thought would allow me to hold onto life? How would I respond if God invited me to see, know, and taste where the Supreme Being lived and interacted with the created beings of the universe. Would I be consumed with awe? Could I understand what was going on around me? How would I capture the experience in my mind and later as I tried to describe it to those who I was closed to? Would I be the consume chronicler of life or a babbling star struck fan seeking an autograph?
John faced that question as God invited him to ascend, enter, and see what happens next. His words written and given to us capture some of the details.
“I was caught up at once in deep worship and, oh!—a Throne set in Heaven with One Seated on the Throne, suffused in gem hues of amber and flame with a nimbus of emerald. Twenty-four thrones circled the Throne, with Twenty-four Elders seated, white-robed, gold-crowned. Lightning flash and thunder crash pulsed from the Throne. Seven fire-blazing torches fronted the Throne (these are the Sevenfold Spirit of God). Before the Throne it was like a clear crystal sea.” (Revelation 4.2-6)
The observation and lesson I have always missed were the first eleven words. What was John’s reaction to God’s open heart and mind? The simple, complete, and priority demonstrating answer is “deep worship”. John then goes on to describe things that he had never seen or imagined before but the first priority to the invitation was deep worship! Nothing else seemed to matter. Nothing else was relevant. Nothing else took precedent!
You and I have the opportunity to experience this everyday. God invites us to come and walk with the Divine. The Spirit and our steps can be intertwined. I far too often find myself caught up in the details and consumed by life itself. The answer today and tomorrow is simple, worship!
