Submitted
by Jim Garner
We’ve all seen things that have surprised, scared,
or shocked us. It might have been during a time of exploration with friends in
a house you thought was “haunted”, a scary scene in a movie, or being blown
away by a part of God’s creation that just overwhelmed you with its beauty and
awe.
·
What is
the most “awe-inspiring” place you have been to or seen pictures of before?
·
Can you
think of an experience that really caught you off guard (scared/surprised) but
turned out to be amazing?
Today’s devotional is going to take us to a story
in the Old Testament that involved all three things that were mentioned above
but truly happened to the prophet Isaiah all at one time – surprise, scared,
and shock. But it was a great thing!
What was it he was allowed to discover? It was the Lord himself! It had
to bring out lots of emotions in this one experience but it was so worth
it! We get a glimpse of this experience
in the sixth chapter of Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:1-8
In
the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne,
high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the
seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two
he covered his feet, and with two he flew.3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at
the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is
me! For I am lost; for 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!” 6 Then one of the seraphim
flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from
the altar. 7 And
he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your
guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall
I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Yesterday we talked about discovering our faith
through the life of Abram. Today we are going to actually focus on what it
means to discover God himself. If you haven’t done that before then this is
your lucky day! Why? Because you get to see through Scripture and through the
most pure form of worship what it means to see and experience God, and then
figure out what it means for your life. But before we do this let me ask you a
question that all should consider.
·
If you
were standing before the Lord himself and he asked you, “Why should I let you
into my Kingdom?” what would you say?
If you don’t know for sure please contact a pastor
or mature Christian family member or friend right now and tell them so you can
figure it out. It’s the most important question to answer without a doubt. We must
be prepared to meet God!
So speaking of meeting God, let’s take a brief look
at the description provided in Isaiah’s experience. He sees the Lord lifted
high in all his majesty and glory. He even describes the robe’s train as large
and filling the temple. These are interesting looking creatures called
“seraphim” that were in awe of God and constantly gave worship to Him as they
covered their own eyes with their wings. His holiness and majesty were so
overwhelming it seems like they felt unworthy to even look at God. They chanted
a rhyme describing the greatness of God: “Holy,
Holy, Holy…” over and over.
“Holy” is a word that relates to worship and awe,
and basically means “set apart”. That is
God. He is set apart from all. He is deserving of complete devotion and praise
for His divine quality and being. There are so many ways to describe Him yet
none of our human terms seem to do it justice even when we try our best. He is
so much more!
But here’s where we come in and learn from Isaiah
about what it means to truly discover God. Isaiah realized his unworthiness and
state of sinfulness before the Lord. His eyes, mind, and heart were opened to a
state of separation between he and God. He was grateful and blown away but also
realized the desperate reality of his need and the people of Israel before the
Lord.
·
Isn’t this
where we find ourselves when we come before the holy God? Have you ever had a
similar experience of awe and humility before the Lord?
We must realize, like Isaiah, that we are lost and
nothing before God. This is where every person should find themselves before
the Lord at some point in their life. Have you? But instead of staying in this
lost and hopeless state the seraphim was able to cleanse Isaiah of his sin and
bring him into a relationship and understanding of God. Jesus paid that price
for you and me by the sacrifice of his life. He took on death so we might have
life. We are nothing and lost without Him. But He is there and available to
give you the life and hope that only He can give. It’s eternal life – both for
now and forever!
To
Consider
·
What is
your favorite characteristic or thing about God?
·
How would
you describe Him to a friend?
·
What is
your spiritual condition before God right now?
·
Have you
realized you need Him?
Then Isaiah heard the Lord’s voice issuing a call
to which he responded: “Here am I! Send
me.” What will you do? Will you go?
Pray Today…
That God will give you a spiritual
encounter with Him today/this week and that you will respond with complete
trust! Also, be in prayer for our upcoming North Side Missions Conference in
January 2018 and that people will respond to go!
