Beloved, I often wonder how much of what is happening in America these days is the result of a weakened church over the last 60, or so, years. I was listening to Dallas Holm’s song, “I Saw the LORD” recently and so, lately I have been drawn back to Isaiah’s experience in chapter six of the book carrying his name.
“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. 2 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. 3 And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So 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.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.”
8 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)
It would do wonders for our world today if every Christian had an Isaiah Experience each day. Far too many have lost the fear of God, the sense of the Holiness of God! You must never forget Who it is that you are relating to and serving. You serve a Holy God! His presence is Holy! Yes, He wants you in a deep, personal, intimate relationship with Him; He pursues you, but none of that changes Who He is! You must always approach Him in the understanding that He is the Almighty God! But He desires that you would absolutely approach Him!
Beloved, somehow God gave this vision, or experience, to Isaiah. Isaiah “saw” these things! And because of what he saw, some things in him were changed forever! Allow me to point out a few things:
First, God’s Presence Filled the Temple – His Glory is Everywhere!
(Vs. 1) “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.”
This was a Holy place! The result is powerful worship! This worship was not based on the angels, or on the gifts of singers, nor even the charisma of a preacher! This worship experience (as all should be) was based only on the Holiness of the full Presence of God!
My friend, for you to be a benefit to the Kingdom of God, you must place a high priority on Worship of the King, both personally and corporately. And beloved, if you ever leave a Worship experience feeling less than satisfied, because of the music, or the people, or the prayers, or the preaching, you were not worshiping the Holy Presence of God, you were worshiping yourself! You must never enter the House of God, or a season of prayer anywhere, without expecting that you would meet with the absolute glorious and Holy LORD your God!
Now notice: “Woe is me!” (Vs. 5)
“So 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.”
Believer, you can never be in the Holy Presence of God and not see and feel a contrast between His Holiness and yourself! Worship in the Presence of the Holy God, (where you feel or sense His nearness), should initiate you to examine yourself in the glow of His Light. Then be honest enough before God to confess, repent, and become cleansed. If you cannot experience God somehow during your worship, (in the Word spoken or sung, or in private or corporate prayer), that may be the first thing for which you must confess and repent!
Lastly, Isaiah Heard the Voice of God! (Vs. 8)
“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.”
Here is what I believe is happening in these verses of Isaiah. Isaiah finds himself caught up in this tremendous worship experience where the Presence of the LORD was powerfully overwhelming. Beloved, you are the only reason you might not experience this each week!
Isaiah sees the Holiness of God, and by contrast, he sees his own sinfulness, and the sins of his own nation. He confesses, repents, and God forgives and cleanses. Now, Isaiah is in right standing before God, and he is therefore now privileged to hear God speak.
It is as if Isaiah is listening to a conversation in the Throne Room. God is either speaking to angelic beings, or most likely a dialog within the Godhead (Trinity) Itself. And instead of God speaking directly to Isaiah, He allows him to hear the dialog within the courts of Heaven: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
God allowed Isaiah to see and hear the need, and then step up to meet the need!
Isaiah then said, in response to what he heard: “Here am I; send me!”
Believer, sometimes God will direct you to go meet the need; sometimes He simply reveals to you the need, perhaps for prayer alone, giving Him an opened door into the earthly need. In either case, He expects you will have made yourself available, both to Him and to what He is doing! This should be you living a yielded, surrendered life to your Holy God, daily!
I challenge you to make this your priority for the rest of your life, whether that is one more day or 40 more years. God is not bound by time, but with God, timing is everything, and you are required to show up on time! —In other words, when He is ready to move or act, He expects you will have made yourself available, both to Him and what He is doing. You are called to a life of continuous Worship and listening, from the position of a living sacrifice to God, pure and holy, which is reasonably expected. Will you say with Isaiah: “Here am I, send (use) me!?”
