God’s Glorious Presence
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.” These words are spoken by the angelic seraphim toward God seated on his throne in heaven in a vision the prophet Isaiah saw of heaven (Isaiah 6:3, compare with Revelation 4:8). In reading this I was struck by the phrase “the whole earth is full of his glory.” God’s glory is revealed everywhere on earth. Where do you see God’s majesty and glory? In a sunrise or sunset? A rainbow? A lightening storm and booms of thunder? The love of one person toward another? A worship service? Realize that the full revelation of God’s heavenly glory brought Isaiah to his knees (as it did to John when he saw the glory of Jesus in Rev. 1:17),““Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty (Isaiah 6:5).””
While we need to focus on the love of God expressed in Jesus, we cannot also forget the glory of God that brings us to our knees and reminds us of how sinful and stained we are in the light of his holy perfection. We are unclean, living among unclean people (no one is exempted). Isaiah’s sign of repentance led to God, in his grace, forgiving him , as symbolized with hot coals touching his lips. Fortunately, we have the sacrifice of the sinless, stainless Savior, Jesus, who has covered our sin and made us holy as he is holy (Hebrews 10:10). Not because of what we have done but what he has done for us, in us, and through us when we believe by faith that Jesus has done this for us.
Having been forgiven, what is our response to God’s grace? Isaiah responded to God’s grace and calling by declaring, “Hear am I, send me.” When we understand the depravity and hopelessness of our situation before God, and the fullness of his amazing grace displayed to us, we should be driven, out of intense gratitude, to do whatever God desires for us to do. In Isaiah’s case it meant bringing not so good news to his people. Of God’s coming judgment and punishment for their sin. No one ever said serving God would be easy, but it is fulfilling.