Passage Read: Revelation 9-10
Meditation Verses: 9:14-15
Thought
I am glad these are things I will not see in person, yet it still amazes me that these four angels and apparently their mounted troops were created for only one thing, and they have been waiting since their creation for this moment. In fact, they're bound in place so that they cannot go out early and torment men before the appointed time, as if they're chomping at the bit to do their deed. They have no other purpose, they're not called into duty from other tasks or responsibilities. What happens when they finish their work? What do they do while they wait? These angels are given permission to kill a third of mankind, which means they must have a sense of submission and self-control; they must accept the limit placed on them even after they are released.
Application
What would it be like to exist for only one thing, and to be kept in a place of reserve for millennia with nothing else to do? It's a powerful reminder that I am not my own, but created for God's purposes. I don't exist in order to please myself, but in order to serve and please my God. If He created me for obscurity, I need to do it for the glory of God and in full obedience to Him. If He created me to rule and reign over countless people, I need to do it for the glory of God and in full obedience to Him. If I am to be chained for thousands of years and released to do one thing, I need to do that one thing in full obedience and honor to God. I don't choose my destiny and purpose. I must seek the Lord and do what He wants me to do, and in seeking to know and do His will, He is free to direct me into whatever point of service He desires.