Isaiah 6: 1-8

"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. 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. And one cried to 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 were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 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.' 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. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.' 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."

I have read these verses many times, but God has had some new things to teach me over the past few weeks about them. Over the past year, I have had to deal with several crisises in my life. King Uzziah's death was a crisis for Israel and Isaiah. Because the circumstances surrounding crisis are so hard, sometimes we tend to only see the dark side of the situation. But God has proven to me this year difficult times can also be an opportunity to refocus our hearts and minds on the steadfastness of God, the faithfulness of God, and God's glory. It forces and allows us to see God in a new light. God is teaching me to worship Him in all things and circumstances. When you look at verses 2-3 and realize the heavenly hosts do nothing but worship God continuously it inspires, humbles and motivates me to do the same. Three times these heavenly beings acknowledge His holiness. He is the Creator, He is pure, He is perfect. He is bigger than all I can imagine. His glory fills the earth and sky. He is the only thing worthy of my worship. I feel like Isaiah did in verse 5. God is so much greater than I am, so much more holy than I will ever hope to be. When I come into His presence I instantly realize how sinful I am and how unworthy I am to be standing before a Holy God. I am humbled and awed He would even take a second glance in my direction. I praise Him for His perfect sacrifice for my sins. My holiness or righteousness could never be earned even on my best days with my feeble efforts here on earth. I NEED a Savior who willingly left heaven's altar and gave His life for me. Look at what Isaiah's response was...As important as our worship is on Sunday, it is not the goal of our life here on earth. I was placed here on this earth for one reason...to glorify God with my heart, my life, my hands, my lips. God wants to hear me respond, "Here am I, send me!" He calls to us through our daily worship to enter the world and make a difference with our "public worship"...to live out our lives redemptively to a watching world.

Will we be ready to answer the call? Pray for personal revival among God's people!

You know I love you!
Julie