RAMBLING: In His Presence

Isaiah Is Sent With a Message for the LORD'S People

1 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne. The bottom of his robe filled the temple. 2 Angels were standing above him. Each had six wings: With two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They called to each other and said,


“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies!

The whole earth is filled with his glory.”


4 Their voices shook the foundations of the doorposts, and the temple filled with smoke.
5 So I said, “Oh, no!


I'm doomed.

Every word that passes through my lips is sinful.

I live among people with sinful lips.

I have seen the king, the Lord of Armies!”


6 Then one of the angels flew to me. In his hand was a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “This has touched your lips. Your guilt has been taken away, and your sin has been forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom will I send? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
9 And he said, “Go and tell these people,


‘No matter how closely you listen, you'll never understand.

No matter how closely you look, you'll never see.'Isaiah 6:1-9 (GW)
Over the years I have preached and shared thoughts and devotionals on this passage of scripture and still it draws me with awe and wonder. Each time I have tried to imagine what Isaiah must have experienced. I find it so difficult at times to fully appreciate Isaiah's humility, his awe, his wonder as he had this vision. I am no theologian, I am not an expert in Hebrew or Greek so let me share my thoughts on this passage as only a layman can. A vision is having a dream but only while one is awake while a dream occurrs only when one is asleep. That alone would be an awesome experience especially one where God appears. Notice that the prophet is in the temple praying. During the difficult times that the small nation was experiencing both a moral and spiritual decline in spite of having godly rulers. Isaiah enters the Temple, God's sancutary to be alone with Him and to pray. As he is praying he suddenly feels or senses he is not alone as he looks around he sees to his amazement a throne and upon that throne he immediately recognizes the Lord's presence upon that throne and His robe filled the entire temple. Isaiah begins to wonder if he is on earth but rather in heaven. To add to his wonderment he sees angels, seraphims, firey angels with multiple wings standing above the throne of God singing His holy praises. Their faces are covered because of God's great holiness and yet Isaiah is struck with the thought "I am in the presence of God, uncovered, I am fully exposed." As these firey angels sing, their voices shook the very temple filling it with smoke of God's wrath. In fear he cries out " I am doomed." He knows he is not worthy to be here so why has he been chosen to experience such a vision? He cries out "I am a sinful man, my own sins have doomed me I am not worthy to be here." Isn't it bad enough I live in a nation where people are living in sin, willfully sinning against God?" "I am not worthy to be here, I am doomed, I am going to die, my heart is filled with awe and wonder but also with great fear." As Isaiah struggles with his unworthiness one of the seraphims approaches him with a live coal of fire held by tongs and reaches down and touches the prophet's lips with them and looks at the prophet and declares him cleansed from his sins and not just that but his guilt is gone. He can now be in God's presence unafraid because he has been cleansed, forgiven. After a moment he hears the voice of the Lord, "whom will I send? Who will go for me?" Without hestiation and not knowing God's purpose for him Isaiah cries out in all humility and love, "Here am I send me."
1 My dear children, I'm writing this to you so that you will not sin. Yet, if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ, who has God's full approval. He speaks on our behalf when we come into the presence of the Father 1 John 2:1 (GW) John says we now have access to God without going through the rituals the priests in the Old Testament had to go through. We may not be able to enter this Holy of Holies but Christ can and does. Christ is our high priest who in turn enters into the Holy of Holies of heaven, into very God's presence on our behalf. When I cry out "I have sinned." Christ approaches the throne of His Father and says, "Father, I come on behalf of Edward who has confessed his sins against you, I ask for my sake You would forgive him." God, the Father replies, "It is done, Edward is forgiven." At this pronouncement the angels and the saints who gone on before raise their voices in joy, for God out of His love for His Son andHis love for Edward, has forgiven his sins.

All to Jesus I Surrender

1 Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. 2 Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.Romans 12:1-2 (GW) Once forgiven we ( I ) now need to offer myself as a sacrifice to God and serve Him faithfully. Like Isaiah I must humble myself before God I must be prepared and willing to go where "He leads me."
Where He Leads Me Isaiah did not question God as to what and where he was to go or needed to do in fact God made it very clear what Isaiah's mission would be. We are not to question God as to our mission but rather ask for His continual guidance and blessing and He has promised to be with us to guide, care and provide what is necessary for us not to just live for Him but to serve Him. God did not promise Isaiah that he would be successful in his mission but to plant the seed of God's Word for there would always be a fertile heart that would produce good fruit for God. We have not been promised that we will win souls every time through our ministry for God we are told, however to simply preach, to teach, to live His word but we do know there are those who respond to God's message of redemption, who will yield themselves fully to His love and will. You did! What greater joy what greater life is there than to live for Christ? Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I'll have even more. Phil 1:21 (GW) 6 My life is coming to an end, and it is now time for me to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. 7 I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. 8 The prize that shows I have God's approval is now waiting for me. The Lord, who is a fair judge, will give me that prize on that day. He will give it not only to me but also to everyone who is eagerly waiting for him to come again. 2 Tim 4:6-8 (GW)
Edward
Have Thine Own Way, Lord