And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God. (Rev. 11:16)
God’s promise is that he will reign over the whole earth. It is too easy to miss the powerful moment when, through true reverence and awe, the elders fell down in worship. Yet our response to God’s unfolding kingdom should be similar. When we recognize God’s reign in our lives today and over the world someday, it should cause us to be filled with worship in our hearts, to sing and to give thanks and worship on that day because the Lord promises to reign in the world the same way he reigns in our lives.
Eugene Peterson once asked whether we would be willing to see God in truth: “Will we let God be as he is, majestic and holy, vast and wondrous, or will we always be trying to whittle him down to the size of our small minds, insist on confining him within the boundaries we are comfortable with, refuse to think of him other than in images that are convenient to our lifestyle?”
The invitation is to see God as he truly is and respond to him like the twenty-four elders: fall on our faces in worship, giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty!
Humble yourself before God; lift up your voice and give him thanks!
Jeremy Summers is an ordained Wesleyan pastor with a doctorate in spiritual formation. He is passionate about discipleship and church multiplication, and probably drinks too much coffee.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
