Words of Wisdom #272: When God Reveals Himself to You…
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, [and] because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth [with it] and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me. And He replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull these people’s minds; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their mind, turn back, and be healed. Then I said, “Until when, Lord?” And He replied: Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, the land is ruined and desolate, and the Lord drives the people far away, leaving great emptiness in the land. Though a tenth will remain in the land, it will be burned again. Like the terebinth or the oak, which leaves a stump when felled, the holy seed is the stump. Isaiah 6:1-13 (HCSB)
Although most of us will never have the amazing experience of being in the presence of the Lord as Isaiah, but we all have the opportunity for the Lord to make His presence known in our lives. And, just like Isaiah, we all will have that moment in time when we tremble because we realize that even the best of us have sins that will be revealed when draw close to God’s holy presence. However, what we will learn is God’s mercy and grace – His loving kindness – has paid the debt for our sin, and He has already cleansed of the penalty, thus any ill-effects of the sin in our life is removed. When genuine conversion occurs there is a definite change in our spiritual DNA that allows us to change our actions and attitudes, and we cease the sinful habits that are in opposition to God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word. Our vision has a new focal point to guide us in life.
Once the conversion experience occurs, God does not drop us off back in life, He offers us a role in His kingdom work. And, He does not have to tap us on the shoulder to get us to volunteer to serve, because once we have a vision for the things that pleases the Lord, then we are seeking and alert to ministry and missions opportunities. But, before we run out the door, stop and seek the Lord’s clarity on the mission to be accomplished. We must not assume we know what needs to be accomplished; we need to have the Lord’s direction that clearly identifies the goal for the mission. Although the age of the prophets has ended, every Christian has access to the Lord though Christ’s work, and through prayer and fasting – which in essence means taking time aside from our busy schedule to devote ourselves to allowing the Lord to share His will, ways and wisdom with us.
Will we all have a huge task like Isaiah, most likely not. The Lord may have one specific person in view when He gives you your marching orders, but whether your mission is one person at a time, or much grander in scale, serve the Lord with the same attitude of “no retreat, no reserve, and no regrets”! God is not measuring the amount of work you do, but your willingness to do what He asks of you. In the Lord’s Kingdom, small tasks are as important as the highly visible mega tasks – but He will only ask of you what you can handle for His purposes.
Are you in the position of hearing the Lord’s calling to go for Him today? If not, why not?
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “ I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:23-26 (HCSB)