Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Revelation 5
Key Verse
Revelation 5:8 — “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”
Devotional Thought
John wept. That is where we must begin, because it is where we so often live. The apostle, exiled on Patmos, watched a scroll held in the right hand of the One seated on the throne—a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals, the full counsel of God for the redemption of the world. Then a strong angel cried out with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book? And the answer came back empty. No man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth. Not Moses. Not Elijah. Not the martyrs already gathered beneath the altar. John wept much, and his tears are honest. We know that ache. We look at a world where wars grind on, where graves are still dug, where the scroll of history seems sealed tight against every hand that would open it. We look at our own hearts, sealed and stubborn, and we wonder who could ever loose them.
Then one of the elders speaks a word that splits the darkness: Weep not. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed. John turns to see a Lion—and beholds a Lamb. A Lamb as it had been slain, standing, bearing the marks of death and the seven horns and seven eyes of perfect power and perfect sight. This is the great reversal of the gospel. The Lion prevails by becoming the Lamb. He does not conquer by tearing; He conquers by being torn. And He comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne—not by seizing it, but by receiving it as the worthy One.
Then heaven breaks open in song. The four beasts and the four and twenty elders fall down with harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Your prayers—the ones you prayed this morning, the ones you whispered in the dark—are held in golden bowls before the throne, and they are not wasted. A new song rises: Thou art worthy… for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And the chorus swells until ten thousand times ten thousand angels, and then every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea, joins: Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
We are walking now through the shadow of the cross, in the days between the waving of palms and the rolling away of the stone. This chapter is the far side of that week. The Lamb who was slain is the Lamb who prevailed, and the sealed scroll of all history is safe in His scarred hands. Whatever grief has sealed you up this April, hear the elder’s word: Weep not. The Lion has already won.
Reflection
- What “sealed scroll” in your life or in the world around you has made you weep, and how does the Lamb who was slain—not merely the Lion who will roar—speak into that grief today?
- John heard that a Lion had prevailed, but when he looked he saw a Lamb. Where might God be calling you to trust His power that looks like weakness rather than the power you expected?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Lion of the tribe of Juda and Lamb as it had been slain, we bow before You this day. You alone were found worthy to take the book and open its seals, for You redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation. Receive our prayers as incense, our tears as offerings, our worship as the new song You deserve. When we weep over what seems sealed and hopeless, speak to us the elder’s word: Weep not. Make us, by Your grace, kings and priests unto our God, and let our lives join the chorus of every creature in heaven and earth, giving blessing, honour, glory, and power unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.