Worship Forever

Worship Forever

All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

Revelation 15:4

IN WORD Revelation is filled with songs to God. His judgments are deemed perfect, His mercy gratefully cherished, His holiness reverently honored, and His victory wildly celebrated. When the dust from the last battle clears, we’ll be able to see what we should have seen all along: that God was always right, merciful, and loving; and that His archenemy was always distorting our view. All the subterfuge, deception, bogus accusations, and vile injustices will be exposed for what they were. Only God will shine, and though we’ve spent a lifetime not understanding the suffering and evil in this world, we will understand it then. Everything will make sense.

That’s good to know. We forget that our world is full of illusions. The Word of God cuts through the smoke and mirrors of the enemy and sets us straight, but we fall away from it easily. It’s important for us to flip to the final chapter from time to time and see how it ends.

IN DEED When you need a spiritual lift, read through all the songs of praise in the book of Revelation. It isn’t hard; they are usually indented and set off in quotes, so they should be easy to find. And though the full implications of their words may not be clear just yet, the fact that God is amazingly glorious, spectacularly brilliant, and awesomely praiseworthy will. The multitudes of heaven, the chorus of elders and martyrs, and the intriguingly beautiful songs of angels will convince you that your worship and discipleship today are extremely, eternally worthwhile.

As you read the songs of praise, you may want to memorize one or two of them. Why? Because you might as well get used to them. Like the adrenaline you feel when you cheer a last-second score or witness a triumphant dramatic scene, you’ll be captivated. Your attention will be riveted to the glory of God, and your songs will sound uncannily like the words of Revelation. This is a preview of your destiny: eternal, thrilling worship.

Come, let us offer Him the great, universal sacrifice of our love, and pour out before Him our richest hymns and prayers.

—EPHREM