Isaiah 6 -- A Long Peek Into The Heavenly Throne Room

Isaiah realized that he was totally unprotected from his own sinfulness in the presence of such holiness, and he feared he’d be consumed by it.  His own sin was a tremendous worry, but it sounds as though he was even afraid that, had he not been sinful himself, just the fact that he lived among other sinners would be enough to cause his destruction!  That certainly speaks to how we should take care of who we are with regularly!

One of the creatures on fire approached the altar and had to use tongs to remove an evidently much hotter coal, but then it held the coal in its hand as it approached Isaiah.  It touched Isaiah’s lips with the hot coal, yet he did not cry out in pain, for there was healing in the process – his guilt before God and his sin had been taken away, allowing him to remain in the presence of the Holy Lord without fear for his sinful state.

It was then that he heard Jesus’ voice:  “Whom can I send?  Who will go for us?”  Remarkably, the experience of being cleansed produces such gratefulness in Isaiah that he didn’t even ask what task he would need to perform.  He simply made himself available willingly!  That kind of incredible eagerness to do God’s will without even asking what it might be should be what we all experience!

The message he was to tell wouldn’t be one his audience would want to hear, but that seemed to matter little to Isaiah.  He’d been given a task by his Lord!  His only question was, “Holy long should I do this?”  Jesus’ answer:  “Until it is all destroyed.”  That was enough for Isaiah.

Father, thank You for the holy encounter we had all those years ago, when I too finally understood that You are God and I am nothing.  Thank You for showing me that I only need to show availability and You will handle ability.  Don’t let me even take lightly Your holiness and my sinfulness.  I simply am thrilled that You have a use for me in Your kingdom!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford