The Reality of a Living, Holy, Almighty God
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his had a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar; And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.' Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I, send me.'
Isaiah 6:1-8
Times of crisis and uncertainty can often bring people to a time of thought, a time of reflection, a time of worry & stress, and even a time of prayer. This was such times that Isaiah found himself in. King Uzziah's reign had begun with promise, but he succumbed to pride and presumed to be able to take on the duties assigned to the priests only. Uzziah was suddenly struck with leprosy while he was offering incense at the altar and died in that condition.
Any crisis in our lives, however small, can be an opportunity for a fresh vision from the Lord.
Isaiah had a need to see God, to hear from God, to feel close to God. He was given a vision of God that literally blew him away!
- He saw God in all His majesty
- He saw God in all His power
- He saw God in all His glory
- He saw God in all His holiness
The simple act of being in the presence of God gave Isaiah a profound realization of just how unworthy he was, and it greived him. This is a natural reaction when coming to terms with the holiness of God. When we see God as He really is, we must also be willing to see ourselves as we really are - lost and dying sinners in need of a Savior.
Immediately, Isaiah confessed his own sin, and then the sin of the people.
God did not deny Isaiah's sin, but He did provide a way for Isaiah to escape. One of the seraphim took a coal from the fire of the altar, where the sacrifice for sins was made, and seared his lips with it, cleansing him. At this point, there was no need for Isaiah to feel unworthy any longer. He had been made clean by the grace of God.
After recognizing God for who He really is, and after confessing, repenting and being cleansed of his sin, Isaiah was then ready for service. When God sought someone to do His will, Isaiah didn't say "There he is, send him", he said "Send me!". There was no hesitating or debating, just obedience.
There is forgiveness and purpose with God if we will just turn our lives over to Him completely and be obedient to His call upon our lives.
There is chaos in the world, but Jesus has overcome the world, and God is still on the throne.
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