You Are not Alone

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

God of the dawn and the day, I wait before You now to receive from Your hand.

Read REVELATION 4:1-11

^[1] After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ^[2] At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ^[3] And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. ^[4] Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ^[5] From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. ^[6] Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ^[7] The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ^[8] Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” ^[9] Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, ^[10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ^[11] “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“The only thing we know about the future is that the providence of God will be up before dawn” (Unknown).

Think Further

It would have been easy for John to become depressed and defeatist. Exiled on Patmos, he was unable to help the churches he loved in the challenging situations they faced. What could he do? How could his churches survive? In any age the forces against us can seem overwhelming. Faith seems so fragile, impotent against the prevailing powers of the day. How natural to lose heart, yet how wrong it would be to do so! The truth is that we do not see the whole story. We see the actors, striding across the stage muttering our carefully memorized lines, but we forget the director in the wings who is in control. He will bring the production to the conclusion he has always intended, often turning situations completely on their head.

“There before me was a throne” (2). Here is the center of the vision. All the rest is meant to stimulate our imagination, adding depth and color to the scene. The set is described and the characters take their places. We have become cynical about displays of power from world rulers, but this is qualitatively different. Here is one worthy of our worship, which is given freely and gladly by all present. This worship is based not on pretentious promises for the future but on solid achievement in the past. Creation itself is the fruit of his labors, and each aspect bears testimony to the glory of God.

When doors close around us and we feel boxed in, there remains an open door to those who, following Martin Luther, believe that “faith is taking God seriously.” In a society that proclaims the absence of God we affirm that he remains not only present but in control, and on that we base our lives. The Lord reigns.

Apply

Look out at the world around you and the sky above you. Are your problems so big that the One who made all this is unable to help you today? Give any problems to him now.

Closing prayer

“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee…God in three persons, blessed trinity” (R. Heber 1783-1826).

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

Yesterday’s reading

View all readings

Tomorrow’s reading