Put in my place
All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing, alleluia. William Henry Draper
Read Revelation 4:6—11
Now I’m really confused. These four living creatures surrounding the throne: don’t they look so like creatures we are warned to make no graven image of? I don’t get it! Here they are, worshipping! Are the images and idols now worshipping the true God? I don’t know. And the other thing: the one like a human face. Surely that one should have been the first, the beginning of the worship of God. Or the last, the climax of the worship of God. But instead it’s number three! Are we with our worship not the leaders of creation? Or its goal? Are we just among all creation? All the creatures? Are we no more than just part of the ‘all things?’
Father God, God of all creation, the beginning and the end of all things, somehow when I praise you my voice is added to the voice of all creation. I seem to be rather gloriously free from having to take any place, any posture, any precedence over any other creature. I can be alongside a cow and a bird and it does not matter. I am no less blessed, no less represented by the Lord of creation, the Son of God, who leads us all in devotion to the Father of all things.