There Is Always A Throne

There is always a throne.

“A throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne…” (Rev. 4:2)

This last week, as part of my ongoing research into Thanksgiving in the Bible, I’ve been studying Revelation for my morning devotions. There is an instance of thanksgiving in Revelation 4 that I will get into at a later time. Today, though, I wanted to share something else that God really impressed on my heart.

The scene of chapter 4 centers around the throne of God. John is called up into heaven and the first thing he sees is a throne.

The throne is clearly occupied. And, the entire scene is centered around the throne of God.

The description of who occupied the throne was not really that descriptive. Matter of fact, all of the glory and majesty of the scene comes through the description and activities of those around the throne. Can you even imagine how incredible it will be to see what John saw?

The 24 elders clothed in white
The 4 cherubim with the eyes and wings
The casting of crowns
The thanksgiving
The singing
The bowing down and getting up
The rainbow
The flashing of lightning
The seven torches of fire

It is glorious, and the Lord who occupies the throne is clearly amazing and beyond imagination and powerful. But, to the reader, the glory of the Lord in this scene comes through what surrounds the throne and not the actual description of Him.

There is always someone on the throne.

I think that so many are misled into believing that there are situations and circumstances in which there is no one on the throne.

They think that there are some things that are too small to matter. There are times and menial things that are so minor that they do not reflect back up to a throne.So many simply float through their day—surviving. They go from one thing to the next, knocking out whatever comes their way with no consideration for a larger mission or idea.

As a result, their lives are disjointed and have no continuity. They don’t think in terms of a larger goal. Before long, they are frustrated and feel like they are just spinning their wheels. Just getting by…!

They might think they can have multiple occupants of the throne, but. there can be only one.

Others declare that true freedom is found in not having a throne at all. No one to answer to. No order. Nothing or no one to submit to.

Agnostics and atheists go so far as to believe that there is no god.

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Ps. 14:1)

There is always a throne.

There is always One on the throne.

There’s always the one person or thing that we are serving. There’s never a moment that a throne doesn’t exist.

And, that throne is always occupied. And, whatever or whomever occupies that throne is always lord of your life and of that moment.

We always have a priority, whether we have actually thought it through or not.

Some of you have read our little e-book on Goals for Families. This book lays out the method for creating effective goals and encourages you to think through what drives your family, so you can make decisions in light of that. In that book, I talk about the “big why” that directs all our choices and plans.

One of the big misconceptions many have is thinking that the choice they’re making is between having a “big why” and not having a “big why.”

In actuality, the choice really is, “What is your ‘big why?’” because you’ll always have one. Even if you don’t consciously plan and construct a “big why,” there still is one.

And, that “big why,” is the reason you do what you do. It’s the motive that drives you forward and guides each decision you make, and it always shows who is on the throne in your life. 

There is always One.

And, once you get the right One on the throne, it is amazing how everything else seems to fall in line. Put another way, if the “Big Why” is right, everything that comes after is much easier.