After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as cryst —Revelation 4:1-6
During my early years of seeking to establish a consistent prayer life, I felt as though I were praying into the air—to some nebulous being far beyond my grasp. I had a feeling of disconnectedness, with no real sense of praying to a real person. But over time, my prayer life has been greatly enriched through a simple devotional focus that I began some years ago. I call it "gazing on God's throne." John describes the scene in heaven into which our prayers ascend. This description of God's throne, the Lord Jesus, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four elders significantly changed my prayer life.
{ PRAYER STARTER }
Father, may the vision of Your throne remind me daily that my prayers ascend unto that very place and are heard—and answered—each time I pray.
John paints a word picture of the setting to which
our requests and petitions come.
