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. 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. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 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!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 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.”
In this amazing passage of Scripture, we see how Isaiah worshiped God. This is the pattern that our worship should follow. Isaiah saw God seated on His throne. How incredible!! There are times in worship where we feel like dancing, jumping, shouting, and celebrating. All of those are great responses to God. But there are not enough times in worship where we respond to God in the way that Isaiah responded to God. Isaiah got on his face before God. He did this because he realized that he was not worthy to stand, or even to be in God’s presence. When he saw the holiness and might of God, he immediately saw how sinful he himself was. He was awed by the holiness of God and he knew for sure God would strike him dead. Isaiah said that he was ruined. He did not run up to God’s throne and expect God to thank him for coming to worship that day. He came to God understanding that He was in no way worthy to be in God’s presence. Too often we come to worship God and act like we are doing God a favor. We must recognize that worshiping God is such a privilege. We need to know that in and of ourselves we do not deserve to get anywhere near the throne of God. Isaiah saw his life flash before his eyes. He was then comforted by the angel that flew over with a coal from the fire and touched his lips. This fire represents the everlasting flame of forgiveness that is found at the throne of God. The angel brought it and touched Isaiah on the lips; the very place that he said he had sin! The angel told Isaiah that his guilt was taken away. It was removed by that coal! At that point, Isaiah knew that he wasn’t going to die. Because of his sin, he deserved death, but God spared his life by forgiving him. Then God said to Isaiah that He needed someone to go to the people and preach His message to them. Isaiah didn’t have to wait another second before he volunteered. He had seen first-hand how God had forgiven him and given him a new life to live. He was eager to serve his God who had done this for him. Our worship of God should follow this pattern more often. Our motivation to live for God, to love God, and to serve God should come from our understanding that He is holy and that we are sinners. We must understand what great love He has shown us by forgiving us of our sins. We must stand amazed that the God of the universe is calling out to us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him. It is such a privilege. God is holy. We are sinners. When we come to worship Him, we must come in humble adoration.
- When you come to worship God, do you see His holiness? Do you see your sinfulness?
- Have you ever received God’s forgiveness?
- Are you willing to serve Him because His great love allows you to live a new life?
Today, think about the fact that God is Holy. Think about the fact that He has allowed you into His presence by forgiving you of your sins through the blood of Jesus.
A Pastor's Thoughts 