by Sarah Leteta<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m reading the book of Revelation. It\u2019s night and it\u2019s stormy, which seems appropriate. Isn\u2019t a good mystery always better in the dark, with the occasional clap of thunder?<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t read this final book, with its final message, in a long time. I find myself stopping at chapter 4 to reflect on a \u201cdoor\u201d (v. 1) that\u2019s been mentioned a couple times in chapter 3 already: an open door Jesus sets before us (v. 8) and the closed door He stands at and knocks on (v. 20). When John goes through the open door in 4:1, he\u2019s suddenly at God\u2019s throne. There is thunder and lightning (v. 5).<\/p>\n
Revelation is like a storm: It unsettles us with its symbolism and scenes of the future, shrouded in mystery. And storms can be scary. I wonder if John was afraid when he went through the door and saw those incredible sights. Was he tempted to close it?<\/p>\n
In this moment, I decide to open my front door. I sit back down to read but can\u2019t concentrate. I get up, go back to the front door, and just stand there \u2014 far enough outside to hear the storm but enough inside to not get wet.<\/p>\n
Something about John\u2019s experience takes me back to when I was a kid in Alabama. Spectacular storms would roll through, and the whole family would sit on the front porch and watch as the wind and thunder and lightning went nuts around us. I can see my parents clear as day: Mom leaning on the railing, holding her long hair up off her neck, enjoying the cool wind, and Dad sitting, strumming his guitar as if the only thing missing were a soundtrack. We weren\u2019t afraid of storms.<\/p>\n
I live in Canada now and still don\u2019t fear storms, but my kids hate them. They worry because they think all wind is a tornado waiting to happen. I\u2019m always saying, \u201cKids, stop worrying! We live in Canada.\u201d They\u2019re quick to remind me of the great tornado that hit Edmonton in 1987 and blew the roof off one of the barns at the family farm. Their grandma saw the whole thing.<\/p>\n
As I stand in the doorway thinking about my kids and fear and storms and Revelation, I\u2019m aware that I fear other kinds of disturbances that life brings. I grab my phone and earbuds and listen to \u201cDon\u2019t You Worry Child,\u201d by Swedish House Mafia. The song reminds me that our heavenly Father has a plan for all His children, young and old, for now and the future. We need not fear.<\/p>\n
As the song ends, the rain slows down. I decide that I must somehow help my children overcome their fear. I will start by opening the door to thunderstorms, as John did \u2014 not revealing a God to fear but a God to trust. I\u2019ll read them the story of Jesus walking on the water to His disciples in the middle of a storm. \u201cDo not be afraid,\u201d Jesus tells them (Matthew 14:22-27).<\/p>\n
This is good advice for all of us, whether we\u2019re facing the tempests of life or reading Revelation. \u201cDon\u2019t you worry, child,\u201d our heavenly Father says. We find Him on His throne, through the door and in the storm.<\/p>\n
Safe and satisfied, I go inside and continue reading.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sarah Leteta<\/strong> lives outside Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband Fred and their two children, Levi and Savannah. They attend the Parkland Church of God (Seventh Day).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n by Andrea Slawson<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy . . .\u00a0 (Revelation 1:3a).<\/p>\n When I read these words a few years ago, their truth finally sank in: Revelation is a book of hope, not of doom. God in His kindness and mercy met me with a promise of blessings, and I received them!<\/p>\n One of those blessings is Revelation 4. In my opinion, it is the best chapter in the Bible. We get not only the slightest look at God and His authority but also the beautiful picture of raw, pure worship. The chapter is between the promise of a blessing to those who hear and the judgments of those who do not turn to the Lord. We see the throne of God and His appearance like jasper, clear and radiant like a diamond, and a rainbow circling the throne. John uses precious jewels of awesome color in his description. Like Timothy stated in his first letter, God dwells \u201cin unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see\u201d (6:16).<\/p>\n I\u2019m envious of more than one aspect in Revelation 4. First, to be in the very presence of God, to be a part of His glory. Second, to give glory to God by worshipping Him without end \u2014 to be so full of God that I do not need rest from the worship (v. 8). So often our worship is what we have left over, but the example of the four winged creatures is that God is worthy of our best. They value God so much that their worship is unending. The twenty-four elders cast their crowns before the throne \u2014 their highest achievement, their notability. They take a posture of reverence in bowing face down before God \u2014 another example. Those closest to God, those in His presence, worship Him most.<\/p>\n We experience peace and awe in the worship setting \u2014 what it will be like one day when we live freely with God and worship as we were created to. Too often we think that worship is about us and how it makes us feel, about our needs, about bringing us to God. But the reality is like the example of the creatures and the elders: Worship is and should always be about and for and to God and His glory. Worship isn\u2019t our action but our reaction to the glory of God. It moves us to respond in praise, falling on our faces in reverence.<\/p>\n The truest worship is real and unending. Revelation 4 shows us whom we should worship \u2014 God \u2014 and that true heart worship is not just an obligation to God but also a great privilege.<\/p>\n In order to have true heart worship with God, we must be with Him. God\u2019s heart calls to us through His Word, and through it we will feel His love for us. He longs to bless us. All He asks is that we come into His presence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Andrea Slawson<\/strong> is married to Bruce and has two sons, Andrew and Adam. She resides in Owosso, MI, and is a blogger for the Bridge Co-Mission, a ministry of the Northeast District.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n by Liorah Bogle<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/sup>But of that day and hour no one knows. . . . Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming \u2014 in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning \u2014 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!\u201d (Mark 13:32-37).<\/p>\n Four times in this short passage Jesus commands us to watch. But what does this mean? The definition of the verb watch<\/em> is 1) to be sleepless or keep awake; 2) to be attentive or vigilant, ready; 3) to give strict attention to, be cautious, active; and 4) to be expectant.<\/p>\n As action verbs go, watch<\/em> is not typical. Try to act it out. Compared to other action verbs, it doesn\u2019t seem to do much.<\/p>\n In Matthew 24:42, 44 Jesus says to \u201cWatch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming . . . at an hour you do not expect.\u201d He will come as a thief in the night, stealthily and silently.<\/p>\n So how do we watch without knowing when? How do we perform this task that Jesus commanded? What should watching look like in our day-to-day lives? Does it mean that we should wake up in the morning and do nothing but read our Bible, pray, and watch the news all day? Should we look up into the sky for signs of the clouds parting every hour, on the hour? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n First Thessalonians 5 tells us that we who are of the day, who walk in the light (who are awake and watching), need to put on our armor \u2014 the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation \u2014 because watching will keep us busy! Verses 11-22 lay out many more daily activities for believers in this world of sin:<\/p>\n Encourage one another.<\/p>\n Edify one another.<\/p>\n Warn those who are not living as they should.<\/p>\n Comfort the fainthearted.<\/p>\n Uphold the weak.<\/p>\n Be patient with all<\/p>\n Pursue good for all.<\/p>\n Rejoice always.<\/p>\n Pray without ceasing.<\/p>\n Thank God for everything.<\/p>\n Do not quench the Spirit.<\/p>\n Do not despise prophecies.<\/p>\n Test all things.<\/p>\n Hold fast to what is good.<\/p>\n Abstain from all evil.<\/p>\n I challenge all of us to meditate on and study each verb in this list and discover what God would have us do today, tomorrow, and the day after that. God has a blessing for those who watch (Revelation 16:15)!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Liorah Bogle<\/strong>, her husband William and five children live in Jasper, AR, where they attend and serve in the Church of God (Seventh Day).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Door\u00a0and the Storm by Sarah Leteta I\u2019m reading the book of Revelation. It\u2019s night and it\u2019s stormy, which seems appropriate. Isn\u2019t a good mystery always better in the dark, with the occasional clap of thunder?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrue Worship<\/h2>\n
Watch is a Verb<\/h2>\n