What Does It Mean to Lay Down Your Crowns? (Revelation 4:10-11) | Daily Devotional & Bible Study

After dropping my daughter off at college, the Holy Spirit met me with one sentence: this is what it means to lay down your crowns. In this short bonus episode we look at Philippians 4:1, Proverbs 17:6, and Revelation 4:10-11 and see that a crown in Scripture can be a person. It's about handing what is most precious to us over to God's care, even when it hurts.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved." (Philippians 4:1)

Questions this episode answers

What does it mean to lay down your crowns?

Revelation 4 shows the elders casting their crowns before God's throne in worship. We are also asked to do this now, by handing the things and people most precious to us over to God's care. It means trusting Him before we know how things will turn out.

Can a crown in the Bible be a person?

Yes. Paul calls the believers in Philippi his joy and crown in Philippians 4:1, and Proverbs 17:6 calls grandchildren the crown of old men. The Greek word stephanos can mean something that brings honor to a person.

How do I trust God with my child when it's time to let go?

You can grieve and be grateful at the same time, and that pain does not cancel your trust. Revelation 4:11 reminds us that God created all things, including the child you are releasing. He loves them even more than you do.

Timestamps

02:24 The thought she woke up with

03:29 Testing what you hear against Scripture

05:23 This is what it means to lay down your crowns

05:53 Philippians 4:1, when Paul calls people his crown

06:49 Proverbs 17:6, crowns as people again

07:01 Revelation 4:10-11, casting crowns

07:30 What the Greek says about crowns

10:12 What is your crown

Links

If Paul's letter to the Philippians speaks to your heart, our 2028 Bible Study Live trip to Greece is a chance to study Scripture with a small group of women in the land where Paul planted those early churches.

Bible Study Live is a small-group Bible study trip with Rachael Groll. Study Scripture where it happened in Rome, or slow down for a contemplative Bible study retreat in Maui. Dates and details at BibleStudyLive.org

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