O For a Faith That Will Not Shrink “Enter His Presence” Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Monday, October 15, 2018
Listen to “Thoughts in Worship 10.15.2018” on Spreaker.
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said,
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:1–8).
Is This The End?
You knew things were bad, but you never thought they were this bad. Things were already making you feel oppressed, and you were being opposed at every turn. You already felt like nobody could be the voice of the people in this time of greatest turmoil, but then it happened: things things got worse. The dividing line among the peoples grew into a seemingly unbridgeable, yawning chasm. You don’t know how long you can take this. You are ready to throw in the towel.
As Isaiah was getting his prophetic feet under him to really settle into his divine calling, the people of God had been rocked back on their heels because of one man, Tiglath-pileser, who was subverting the lives and consciences of people all around Asia. What impact do you think his oppressive ways had on the people of God?
Well, when they thought it could not get any worse, it did! The one hope they had amid dismal times was dashed violently to the ground with the death of King Uzziah. What would be the remedy for their fears, consternation, uncertainty, and desire to overcome the oppression?
There are certain things that do not change. God’s remedy for things that disturb our peace has always been clearer vision of Him. In the prophet Isaiah’s case, as he needed to overcome many of the same concerns the people did, and others, the Creator gave him a vision of the throne room. He gave Him a vision of the heavenly unity of angels who had themselves experienced turmoil.
There was a covering cherub named Lucifer who had clearly lost his spiritual mind in heaven. He set himself up as the king, but he was not. There were many casualties in the war there. Many angels fell into sin and have become our enemies. But there are holy angels, who excel in strength, who have never lost their focus.
Can You See It?
We need to take a page out of their book. Isaiah saw them worshipping God on such a level that the heavens shook! Do not miss this. God gave Isaiah a vision of the heavenly atmosphere of victory over every evil plot, plan, misunderstanding, oppressive action, political difficulty, interpersonal schism, and unholy character attribute. He gave him a vision of His glory, power to forgive, and mission to save bullheaded people from our sins. We can learn a lot when we enter into the presence of God to worship Him.
If we are to develop a shrink-resistant faith that will not fail when tested, we need a constant view of God our King that eclipses the frailty of humanity.
