Around the throne

The devotions for this week are featured in LCA International Mission’s 2026 ‘Pentecost Devotional and Prayer Guide’ and are written by mission partners from around the world. LCA International Mission invites you to pray during Pentecost for the connections and ministries of our international partners. An electronic copy of the full devotional is available to download at the LCA International Mission website. Please email lcaim@lca.org.au or phone 08 8267 7317 to request a printed copy.

by Andreas Spingler

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude … from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages (Revelation 7:9a).

Read Revelation 7:9–17

This amazing vision of the seer John leaves me in awe. Here, at the throne of God, at the goal of God’s story with his people, true unity in all diversity has finally become real. People from every nation, tribe, people and language are gathered in unity before the throne of God and before the Lamb, worshipping him together. That’s not uniformity, not at all, but genuine unity.

Ever since the days of the Tower of Babel, humankind has tried to achieve unity. Yet it has often followed the same old recipe as the builders of Babel: ‘Come, let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth’ (Genesis 11:4). Usually, the results were poor, or they ended in uniformity.

I’ve been living in Papua New Guinea for some time, a country in which 10 million people speak more than 800 languages. This remarkable diversity is unfortunately often a cause for misunderstandings, conflict and violence. We humans seem to be able to achieve either diversity or unity, but rarely both.

So what brings people together before the throne of God in this unity amid diversity? Two things stand out to me.

First, the shared worship. Before the throne of God, we’re no longer making a name for ourselves, but together, we lift up the name of the Lord, and that unites us.

Second, and perhaps even more deeply, the white robes. Although we come before his throne from countless different cultures, we all wear the same white robes. A few verses later, we learn where they come from: ‘They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb’ (Revelation 7:14).

What truly unites people before the throne of God is Jesus’ saving work on the cross. There, our differences are no longer a cause of conflict, but a reason for joy. In this unity, which is formed by the blood of Jesus and expressed in the praise of God, our diversity becomes pure richness.

How does God’s vision of people from every nation gathered around his throne shape the way you view Christian unity today?

Pray for the students, lecturers and staff of Lutheran Highlands Seminary as they live and learn together amid the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Papua New Guinea. Pray that the seminary is a living witness to the vision of Revelation 7, where people from every nation and language gather together in worship before the Lamb.

• Click here to read previous devotions.
• We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
• Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.