Zechariah 12:1-13:9;
Revelation 19:1-21; Psalm 147:1-20; Proverbs 31:1-7
Can you guys even believe how close we’re getting? Just a
few more days and we will have read (or done our best) the whole Bible!! Way to
go, us! I know we’ve said it before, but thanks for being on this journey with
us this year.
Sarah started her post yesterday with a confession of being
a minor prophets lover. Well, I’m Revelation lover, despite its complications
and controversies. When I worked at a summer camp in college, I used to read to
the girls in my cabin each night from Revelation, mostly about the new heaven
and the new earth (look for that in our December 30th reading). But
there are some great images in today’s reading, too, mostly connected with the
worship of our God. Who can’t get excited about that?
Try to imagine the scene in today’s reading – a multitude
(so a very large number) of heavenly beings cry out in a large voice these
amazing words: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just” (Rev. 19:1). Sit in those words a
minute this morning. Maybe even close your eyes if it will help you. Picture
yourself among those declaring these great truths about our God. (If you didn’t
already know, the word "hallelujah" means “God be praised,” which seems like a
fitting way to start this section of Scripture!)
I think it’s easy to get lost in the “24 elders” and “four
living creatures” and wonder what/who those are and what they mean/represent,
but the bigger picture here is the worship of God. Don’t you long for the day
when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”
(Phil. 2:10)? I do. And trust me, my friends, when that does happen, it
will be everything we’ve been longing for and more. Talk about a multitude!! I
think we’ll be saying exactly what our reading today says: “Let us rejoice and
exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his
Bride has made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7).
And I love how we go from this chorus of praise to another
one in our psalm reading: “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to
our God; for it is pleasant and a song of praise is fitting” (Ps. 147:1).
Indeed it is fitting!
Look at these gems today:
- “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Ps. 147:3).
- “He determines the number of the stars and gives to all of them their names” (vs. 4).
- “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (vs. 5).
- “The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground” (vs. 6).
Okay, I’m basically just typing out the whole chapter that
we just read, so I’ll stop now, but you get the idea. In both our Old and New
Testament readings, we see how great and worthy our God is. Let’s try to
meditate on that today, as we go about our day and even as we think about the
new year coming. Just one more to close, as I can’t resist: “Sing to the LORD
with thanksgiving!” (Ps. 147:7). Amen!
- Esther McCurry
How did God speak to you in Scripture today? Click here to share your reflections on God's word or read past posts. We'd love to hear from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment