Day Twenty-three

“At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne
in heaven with someone sitting on it.” (Rev. 4:2)

Scripture Reading: Revelation 4

Limited by the stifling restraints of human language, the apostle John sought to describe the gloriously inconceivable through images we could see and understand. No matter how creative or artistic any one of us may be, our images of God’s throne room will inevitably be awkward and crude. We have no vocabulary or realm of experience from which to draw. Though the details and descriptions escape us, one characterization of John’s glimpse of glory is crystal clear. In the center of it all is the throne of God. Look again. The apostle John delivered every description in its specific relationship to the throne of God. Clearly, everything else paled in comparison to the central focus of heaven. As soon as John arrived in Spirit, his first words were, “And there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” Then he filled in the pencil portrait with the other inhabitants:

“A rainbow . . . encircled the throne.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones. . . .
From the throne came flashes of lightning. . . .
Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing.
. . . before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass. . . .
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures. . . .
the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne. . . .
They lay their crowns before the throne.” (Rev. 4:3–10)

You see, beloved, from heaven’s perspective everything is seen in relationship to the throne of God. Nothing stands alone because nothing can be understood apart from its relationship to the One on the throne.

God’s Word offers great encouragement for us today. Each time Scripture gives a glimpse of the throne in heaven, it remains occupied. Take heart! You will never awaken to an upsetting morning headline like: “Vacancy Declared at God’s Throne.” You will never have to wonder if God is still occupying His throne. He never leaves His place. He never abdicates His authority or resigns His role as Sovereign Ruler over heaven and earth. Not only is He always on the throne; things and events are viewed in the proper perspective only when seen in relationship to the One on His throne.

Your life, your family, your background, your health, your job, your service, your circumstances—how differently would you view these things if you could see them only in relationship to God on His throne? Any other outlook gives us blurry vision. Try a new way of looking at things—the only true way of looking at things.