Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+011

 

Chapter 11 (ESV)

¹ Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The two unnamed witnesses have the characteristics of the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Moses. Through the centuries, these two men have accumulated symbolic greatness – Moses being the giver of Law and Elijah the giver of prophecy.  The vision of these two witnesses serves as a reminder to us that even in the most desperate of times, God’s people are to take a stand against sin even if such a stand provoke hostility.
2. John saw the two witnesses killed by an individual commonly identified as the Antichrist. But after three and a half days, their exposed bodies returned to life, and were visibly taken up into heaven, to the consternation of their enemies.
3. The Christian church stands in this world as a witness for Christ. You and I are members of the body of Christ.  Are you following the steps of the two witnesses, in your smaller ways, as a faithful witness for Christ?

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, thank You for calling Your children who love You to be Your witnesses and faithfully preach the gospel of Christ unto death. Their testimony surrounded me like a cloud, inspiring my heart. Lord, help me follow their example, share the gospel with my unbelieving relatives and friends, and lead them to You.

 

HYMN:

Christ is Enough – youtu.be/F2ccHq2CCKw

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+010

 

Chapter 10 (ESV)

¹Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. ² He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, ³ and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ⁴ And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, ⁷ but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. John is told to eat the book. Eating a book means that one takes it all in, assimilating it into one’s body. Witnesses must first become what they say before they say it.  Are you assimilating God’s word so that you can be a speaker on His behalf?
2. Every witness experiences the opposite sensations of sweetness and bitterness. The Word is sweet because it is from God. But when it is rejected by others, we will experience that bitter truth that they doom themselves to judgment.  What are some of your recent experiences with God’s word?
3. Recount some of the sweet and bitter moments when you witnessed to others. Stay with the Holy Spirit for a little while as He brings different situations to your mind.

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, help me to be a faithful and obedient servant; open my eyes to the wonders of Your Law; open my ears to hear Your little voice. Grant me a heart thirsting for Your words, and taste the sweetness of Your words.

 

HYMN:

Build My Life – youtu.be/G5oim3KEnXk

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+009

 

Chapter 9 (ESV)

¹The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. ²When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. ³And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. ⁶During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. ……

²⁰The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. ²¹Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Old Testament prophets often called for Israelites to repent and return to God. They emphasized the final judgment and terrible consequence of refusing to repent.  It is only in true repentance can we be saved from the terrible punishment of sin.
2. In this passage, despite God’s judgment, many people still go on their merry way (vv20-21). And sometimes, we are just like them. During such times, God is actually forcing us, through difficult circumstances, to look inside ourselves for our persistent refusal of God’s gracious invitation.  If we are honest to see what we truly are, we would humbly ask God for the grace of repentance and deliverance.
3. Sit silently. Allow the Holy Spirit to show areas of your “persistent stubbornness”.  Ask God for “humility to see and grace to repent”.

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, I am a stubborn and rebellious person, and I dwell in the midst of a stubborn and rebellious people. You have taught me to search my heart through the words of the Bible and the harsh environment. But I am still nostalgic for worldly pleasures, forgetting that the day of your terrible judgment is coming. May the Holy Spirit enlighten me, help me put down the stubbornness in my heart, and follow You in humility and repentance.

 

HYMN:

I Surrender All – youtu.be/5e3O4eH2oeI

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+008

 

Chapter 8 (ESV)

¹ When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³ And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, ⁴ and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

⁶ Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. ⁹ A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Before the seventh seal, there is silence. An angel comes before the altar with a censer and mixes the prayers of believers with the incense. When the censer plummets, the earth rumbles.  Prayers bring incalculable effects.  Even the smallest words of yours can result in great effects.  How would this awareness help your prayer life?
2. Commit to join the numerous saints in daily and regular prayers.

 

PRAYER:

Dear God! You are the God who hears prayers. You are willing to listen to the heartfelt prayers of Your children, even the innocent prayers of small children. May my prayer reach You like the smoke of the incense from the golden censer. Please hear the prayer in my heart and soul.

 

HYMN:

Our Father – youtu.be/So6QyFO6_ik

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+007

 

Chapter 7 (ESV)

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵ “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Again, John’s eye is drawn back to heaven, and he sees the innumerable company of the saved. Drawn from every people and tribe, dressed in the white robes of salvation, they join in offering praise and glory to God.
2. Read this passage again and listen to the words of the worshippers. Think, why is God worthy of your worship?
3. Try lying down on your face before God as you join the great crowd in worship and praise Him. Respond to him with thanksgiving, authenticity, honesty and passion.

 

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, you are worthy of worship and praise. I deeply hope that when the Lord returns on that day, I will be able to stand before the throne and the Lamb with people from every nation, tribes, peoples, and languages, and shout and sing praises to You with a loud voice.

 

HYMN:

There is None Like You – youtu.be/MCfnlBoh2Gg

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+006

 

Chapter 6 (ESV)

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹² When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴ The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

 

REFLECTION:

1. As you read this passage, listen to the voice of the martyrs (v10). Do you find yourself echoing their cry from time to time? What sort of assurance did God give to them?  When you have been wronged and in stress, what kind of assurance do you receive from this passage?
2. Today, there continue to be martyrs persecuted for Jesus’ sake across the world. How would you pray alongside the persecuted church?
3. “The great day of his wrath is here; and who can stand it?” (v. 17) No one is capable of escaping these conditions. In light of all the many natural disasters happening around the world in recent years, how does this passage remind you of the second coming of Jesus?  How does this awareness help you prepare for the return of the Lord?

 

PRAYER:

Dear God! In the past two years, the world has been shrouded in the Covid-19 pandemic, and natural and man-made disasters have continued one after another. Please help me, no matter in season and out of season, I will do my best to preach the gospel, so that more unbelievers will believe in You and avoid the great disaster of the last days.

 

HYMN:

Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) – youtu.be/qOkImV2cJDg

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+005

 

Chapter 5 (ESV)

⁶ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.⁷ And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰ and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The Lamb came and took the scroll, and as He held it, the living creatures and the elders fall down and worshiped Him. And suddenly heaven is filled with praises; praises for the Lamb; praises for the One who was born in order to die, to purchase with His own blood “people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation”.
2. People whose concern is only about themselves would find the endless praise of God and the Lamb intolerable. In fact, worship is not an action but a reaction, a response evoked by a vision of God’s glory.
3. In worship, the focus is on God, not on ourselves. The last word of worship is “Amen” (v14) which means “Oh, yes!”  God says yes to us. We respond by saying yes in return.
4. Reflect on your worship and your response to God. Is God the focal point of your life?  Or is it yourself the center of your life?  How frequently do you say “No” to God?  When was the last time that you said “Amen” (Yes) to God?

 

PRAYER:

Dear God! You are a God worthy of power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing. But You were willing to be the scapegoat and died on the cross to atone for my sins. May You come back soon, so that I can worship and sing praises to You with the many angels. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Indescribable – youtu.be/5IlVfkY5q54

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+004

 

Chapter 4 (ESV)

¹ After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³ And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.⁴ Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶ and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷ the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸ And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

⁹ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹ “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. In this chapter, John was lifted to heaven, and saw God on His throne, surrounded and praised by living creatures.
2. Read the passage slowly and feel for what is happening in heaven. Try to visualize what is described here: the jasper and carnelian, and the emerald, the thunder and the lightning, the torch and the sea …. Do you get a sense of the awe of this place? What does it feel like to be there?
3. Listen to the chanting of the Four Living Creatures: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Think about what God’s holiness means to you? Join in the worship and chant: “Holy, Holy, Holy”, and say: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

 

PRAYER:

Holy! Holy! Holy! My Lord, my God, You are worthy of glory, honor, and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. I will worship You, serve You, and do Your will all my life.

 

HYMN:

God of Wonders – youtu.be/SzXeImpUq7A

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+003

 

Chapter 3 (ESV)

¹⁴ “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹ The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Laodicea was a wealthy city. The church at Laodicea apparently shared in the prosperity. The Christians were self-satisfied and they comfortably fit in with the rest of the population.
2. Yet, God declared that “you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” For the people in Laodicea, lukewarm water was useless water, since it was no good for drinking (not cold) or for bathing in (not hot).
3. Take time to reflect: In what ways has your usefulness for the Kingdom of God been impaired by wealth, comfort, and your sense of entitlement, and you become “lukewarm”?
4. How do you see the patient and yet persistent grace of God at work in your church and in you as a member? What does God say to you through this passage?

 

PRAYER:

Dear God! Please examine me and let me reflect on whether I value wealth, comfort, and power, but my zeal for Your kingdom is no longer the same as before, and I have become a lukewarm Christian. Please have mercy on me, don’t abandon me, and let me continue to be your suitable vessel.

 

HYMN:

Lord, I Need You – youtu.be/LuvfMDhTyMA

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Revelation+002

 

Chapter2 (ESV)

¹ “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

² “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. ³ I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

 

REFLECTION:

1. Tradition says that John moved to Ephesus some 40 years before Revelation was written. He maintained close contact with Christian communities in the seven major cities of the area. Undoubtedly the issues each letter touches on were real at the time John wrote. Yet they are also representative of churches of every place and time. It is helpful to look at each and to see how its characteristics fit our own experience, and apply the warnings and corrections John conveyed.
2. Think about your own church. In what ways is it similar to the church at Ephesus?
3. Now, focus on the relationship between you and the Lord. How does v4 speak to you? Have you walked away from the Lord? How can you regain that first love? What have distracted you from the Lord? In what areas should you repent?
4. If you haven’t walked away from your first love, how do you continue to be faithful and in love with God?

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your unwavering love for me. But I often forsake my first love for You, and Your rebuke to the church in Ephesus is also a rebuke to me. Please remind me often that I will love You all my life.

 

HYMN:
From the Inside Out – youtu.be/4Ke37l7lpBs