Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) instructs us in the value of prayer, for “the prayers of all saints” are ever “before the throne“ of God (8:3-4). The Bible provides many compelling reasons to pray. In Revelation 5:8, we read, “and when He [Jesus] had taken the book, the four beasts [literally, “living ones” or angels, probably cherubim – see Ezekiel 10:15-20] and four and twenty elders [redeemed humans] fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials [bowls] full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” Together, they then sing “a new song,” which begins, “Thou art worthy” (5:9). This heavenly picture is one of profound worship, and this worship includes “the prayers of saints.” Thus, one purpose of prayer is to glorify God. When Jesus taught us to pray, He began “Our Father, [Who] art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name” (Matthew 6:9). “Hallowed” means to set aside as special and holy. When we pray, then, we are glorifying God, whether our prayers are brief or lengthy.