found in the presence of God

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:1-8)

Almost forty years ago I surrendered to what I believed the will of God was in my life. After all that time, I am not sure it was the right decision. But I have held to it for all these years.

It is an interesting thing to be a preacher, to speak with authority to people of things of God.

Isaiah was just an ordinary guy who suddenly found himself in the presence of God and he was afraid. Who wouldn’t be? He was afraid that he was not worthy enough to be there and he would be killed because of his intrusion into the holy places.

He was painfully aware of his sins and knew God was too. He also knew that he lived among people like him. None were holy, none were righteous, all were sinful. It is not necessarily that people were so lousy, it was that they were so weak and sin always finds us through the path of least resistance. It is just easier to sin than to not sin.

Isaiah knew that, as does anyone who is truly in tune with God. But even though you are in tune with God, you know you are not worthy to stand in his presence. He is holy and you are not.

Isaiah was afraid because he felt he has somehow inadvertently stumbled into the presence of the Almighty. How he didn’t know, but his first thought was that he would die.

Then he saw one of the seraphim do something unexpected. He flew toward Isaiah with a hot coal held in a pair of tongs and touched his lips with it.

The spiritual heat of the coal purified Isaiah, purified what he called his filthy lips and made him able to stand in the presence of the Almighty.

Then the Lord called for one to go and tell others of his message. Who will go? he asked. The Lord had something great to tell his people but who would be the one with the audacity to speak for God.? Who would have the courage to stand up and say God says. Who would be his spokesman?

It takes a lot of courage, a lot of gall, chutzpah, whatever you want to call it, to presume to speak for God.

And for forty years I have done so. I have not always done a good job of it, and have quite frankly failed at times. Maybe I have failed altogether. I am not sure.

As a representative of God here on earth, what I always wanted was for God to say to me, Well done, good and faithful servant. You did the best you could.

He may, he may not. I know he will save me and I know that I am saved. I know that I will have a place in heaven with him.

But whether or not he tells me I did fine, I do not know. It is up to him what he does.

There was a time though, that my lips were clean and the word flowed from me. There was a time when healing flowed from my fingertips. There was a time when music flowed from my lips with no effort whatever. Now not so much, if at all.

One thing for sure, Isaiah didn’t do well either. In fact in the next few verses God tells him that when he preaches, no one will listen and that ultimately, he would fail.

In fact, most of the prophets failed too, though not for want of trying. I wonder if Jeremiah or any of the others ever worried about their failure in their later years as I am now.

So I guess I am in good company.