Isaiah
6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I
saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe
filled the temple. Above him were seraphs,
each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with
two they covered their feet, and with two they
were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the
LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their
voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live
among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD
Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which
he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said,
“See, this has touched your lips;
your guilt is taken away and your sin
atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And
who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
I read this passage four times yesterday and this morning was brought back to it.
It’s pretty simple; the God of all creation is ready to enter on this scene and give a charge to Isaiah. The prophet of God will get a message and encouragement to continue the work that God has given him. But before Isaiah would tremble, before he would say the words "woe to me!" the seraphs would make the announcement that the LORD was about to enter, the Lord was about to speak.
At the sound of the seraph's voice, the celestial beings, the entire room begins to quake. The doorpost are shaking, the threshold, the very floor is moving and the temple is filled with smoke. It's no wonder Isaiah is crying out he is ruined! I mean, really, this is just the announcement that God's Glory is now present.
I'm surprised Isaiah did not die right on the spot. It does not take much to frighten us humans. The Lord is constantly saying in the Scriptures, "do not be afraid”. It’s hard for us to understand things beyond what our natural eyes can see.
Lord the pillars are moving, there is what feels like an earthquake under my feet, there is smoke everywhere, and the thing that I can actually see, are these creatures with wings! Six wings! Their eyes are covered but somehow they know where they are going. They are calling out one to another, "Holy Holy is the Lord" and they keep repeating it.
I could imagine it getting louder as the Glorious One was arriving. Can you hear the cheer? They are "looking" at each other (though their eyes were covered) and praising God. There is no chaos here!
"Holy Holy Holy" is the Lord God Almighty. Listen all creation, listen Isaiah it's the Lord's message. The whole earth is full of His Glory!! He is going to speak, so listen closely.
Woe is me! Why didn't Isaiah die? Because the one that gives Life sustained him, then he cleansed him and the Word says his sins were atoned for.
Listen Isaiah...listen Liz (put your name here) when God speaks we must listen.
Feeling unequipped, I AM the Lord who will help you. Feeling discouraged, I AM the Lord who is the Lifter of your Head. Not sure if you heard correctly when God charged you with this work, I AM the Lord that goes before you. Feeling weak, I AM God and when you are weak, I AM Strong.
You are mine! I purchased you with the Blood of my Son, Jesus!
Now Isaiah, now Liz be encouraged! This is your charge, your calling. Go and do as I say.
Each of us has a charge, a calling from the Lord. He has equipped us with gifts that reside within us. He has given the gifts to us. It's all for His glory! Let your Kingdom come.
Here I am Lord, send me.
God bless you!~Liz
