Don’t Cling to Your Crown

July 3, 2025

“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’” Revelation 4:10-11

Through John’s extraordinary experience, he gets a front row seat to the Throne of Heaven, and because God Almighty tasked John with recording his experience, we, too, get a glimpse of Heaven. John gets the unparalleled opportunity to see the majesty of God. He witnesses all of Heaven worshiping the God who is worthy, and in the verses above, we see even the most powerful cast their crowns before the Lord in humility and worship.

The twenty-four elders fall down before the Lord, take their crowns off, and lay them down. They surrender all that they have gained—every victory, every bit of authority, every bit of power—because they know that everything they have is ultimately the Lord’s.

In some ways, I think we’re in a similar position every day before the Lord. We all have things over which we “rule” in our lives. We might ask ourselves what sort of crowns we wear, and whether we are holding onto them or casting them at the Lord’s feet. Are there areas of our lives that we’ve refused to surrender? Are there things we haven’t been able to release to the Lord? What sort of kingdoms have we built in our own lives that we insist on ruling over?

The way to real freedom, real healing, and real unity as the church is not in desperately trying to cling to our crowns. The real way is in letting go; in trusting the One who created all things, who willed all things into being, who sustains all things, who redeems all things. Whatever you’re holding on to, cast it before the One who is worthy to receive all glory and all honor.

Grace and peace,
Brandon