Revelation 5:11-14 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 5:11-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, Verse 12singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" Verse 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" Verse 14And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Devotion
Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered... —Revelation 5:12
We value power, wealth and wisdom. We seek blessing, honor, glory and might for ourselves. Those who possess such things can "write their own ticket." Fame and fortune—that's what we so often wish we had. These verses tell us we need to re-evaluate, not judging by our own values, but according to those who are worthy of such values.
The one to whom all creation—everything in heaven and on earth—falls down in worship is also the one who is weak and poor and foolish. We acknowledge blessing, honor and glory and might belong to God whose surprising image is a slaughtered lamb—a victim, a helpless, innocent, lovely creature. God's love for the world—God's love for us—is so strong, so passionate, so selfless that God has said to us through Jesus, "I would rather give up my beloved Son than give up on you."
Prayer
O God of steadfast love, forgive us for seeking our own way rather than yours. Forgive us for striving for what we want rather than what you know we need. Thank you for Jesus, the lamb who was slain. For, through him, we see the kind of God you are, the deepest dimensions of your love for us, the lengths to which you will go to make us yours. Amen.