Before you begin, take a few moments to find and create for yourself a quiet space. You can turn off your phone and close any chat or other things that might interrupt your time. Give your time and attention wholly to God for the next while.
You might say a prayer, inviting God to speak to you, to reveal Himself to you and to help you grow in your knowledge and understanding of who He is and who He calls you to be.
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,
“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,
for you brought these judgments.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”
7 And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
true and just are your judgments!”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
Reflection
In this scene, the seven angels leave heaven to pour out their bowls filled with God’s wrath. The seven bowls, similar to the seven trumpets, are reminiscent of the judgment plagues in Egypt. This reinforces the absolute importance on worship. The ten plagues came on the Egyptians not because they were extraordinarily evil but for their determination to prevent Israel from worshipping God.
It has been said, “The greatest evil that people of faith face from the outside is the obstruction of worship. The greatest evil that they face from the inside is the subversion of worship.” Can you identify some of these forces in our contemporary society? How should the church counteract these external and internal forces?
Have you noticed such forces in you – either hindering your worship of God or corrupt your sense of significance of worship? Have you ever hindered others from worshipping God by your behaviours or attitudes? What do you need to repent, and claim victory in Christ?
Prayer & Journaling:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.
Proverbs for Today 31:12-13
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.