How Should We Worship God?

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In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—

    the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,

    to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things,

    and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Revelation 4:6-11

One of the major themes in the book of Revelation is worship. John is given the vision of what worship will look like in heaven. Worship is something we will be doing a lot of in heaven. There are several principles from this passage about the nature of worship in heaven, but also has great application for our worship of God today!

1. At the heart of worship is declaring God is holy! In fact the angels cry "'holy, holy, holy", over and over. They repeat over and over because it is the essence of the character of God.  Holy means different or separate. It reminds we worship God because he is different from anything else in the world.   

“In Hebrew, the double repetition of a word adds emphasis, while the rare threefold repetition designates the superlative and calls attention to the infinite holiness of God.” (Johnson)

2. The elders lay down their crowns at the feet of the Lord. These crowns might represent the things we have done on earth that have eternal value. Instead of using these crowns to portray their own worthiness, the elders laid them down at the throne as if to say, "Only you are truly worthy of a reward." 

The elders credited God for their own work and reward, and they did this as they cast their crowns before the throne. They recognized that the worth, the worthiness belonged to God, not to themselves. (Guzik)

3. They worship God for his "creativeness". God is the Creator and we are His creatures. To worship God is to take ourselves off the throne. It is to realize the gifts we have been given to create and bring meaning on earth reflect our Creator. God gives us the opportunity to create beauty on the earth through art, architecture, music, books, relationships, children, and increasingly digital technology. 

If these gifts are offered up to God and used to create something that reflects the true nature of our Creator, they give glory to God. I.e. They are true, noble, wholesome, pure, lovely, and excellent. 

For instance so much of what is called "art" today would not pass this test and therefore does not give glory to God! 

“God’s power put forth in the creation and administration of the world is twice here mentioned; as that which can never be sufficiently admired and adored.” (Trapp)

What is your worship life like? As you can see above, worship is not just about an hour on Sunday, it is reflection of our relationship with God in every area of our life! Does what you are creating in your life, your family, and work give glory to God! How do you use the gifts God has given you to give glory to God?