Scripture:
Isaiah 6:2-8 ESV
[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.”
Observation:
I have to be honest. This is one of my favorite portions of scripture. I absolutely love how descriptive it is. The seraphim all around the holy LORD describes the characteristics of the Father… all they can see is holiness so much so that they say it repeatedly over and over. Holy Holy Holy is the LORD GOD almighty the whole earth is filled with HIS glory. In the presence of a Holy and righteous GOD, Isaiah can’t help but see exactly who he is. Unclean, unworthy, unable to do anything without some kind of help from GOD. At that moment, when he confessed how dirty he really was, a solution was found. One of the seraphim flew to the altar and grabbed a hot coal and touched his lips. There is so much here, and I feel like it’s going to be impossible to cover it all in the time I have. I can see Isaiah kind of flinch back. The coal was hot. That means it burnt him a little. He had to be taken by surprise. His mind was racing and heart, but who am I? Wait, what is going on? What am I supposed to do now? OK, wait, send me. I will go, I will speak, I can do it now. You have made me clean. The foundation is still shaking at the voice of the LORD. I can see Isaiah on his face now repeatedly saying the same thing Seraphim had been saying. Holy Holy Holy is the LORD.
Application:
When we come into the presence of the Father, how do we react? Is there a reverence for who HE truly is? Do we see HIM as a Holy and righteous FATHER? Or is HE some genie in a bottle that we can take our grocery list prayers to? I believe that first and foremost, we need to always remember exactly WHO HE IS, and in the face of that, who we truly are. Without HIM touching us with the hot coal from the altar, we are just unclean people. HE is what makes us worthy to be sent. HE is the reason we can go, and HE is the only way we can speak. My question is, has HE shaken your foundation? Have you heard the voice of the LORD through HIS Holy Word? If you have your desire, it is to be sent. In your heart, you are asking, but what can I do? Who am I? Listen if GOD has spoken to you in a manner that has shaken your foundation. Then HE has also touched your lips, and now you are ready. Speak what HE tells you. How do you know what that is, you might ask… well, it’s all in the book… the bookwe call tge bible. That’s what HE wants us to speak. The simple gospel. For GOD, so loved the world that HE gave HIS only SON that who so ever believes in HIM shall not parish but have ever lasting life. The simple gospel. That is all we need. You are equipped now GO into all the world and make disciples.
Prayer:
Father, I have a hard time believing that you can use a man like me. But I see that YOU do. As I look at me, all I see is unclean, unworthy, and unable. But you changed all that with the gift of salvation that came through what your SON did on the cross. Making me clean worthy and able. Now… you have sent me… but I am not the only one. You have equipped all of us, and if we are paying attention, you have sent all of us. Today, what I am asking is that you help us to see how and where you want to use us. Help us to say in our hearts… here we are, LORD, send us. You and you alone know when we are ready. We trust that you will put us where we can best be used for your kingdom. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.