Monday, November 17’s devotional.
Isaiah tells us that everything began with a vision. Before he ever said Woe is me he said I saw the Lord. Bongani captured it when he said, “The prophet is overwhelmed by God’s holiness… Holiness that cannot be measured… incomparable holiness.” The text declares, “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1 CSB). Holiness broke in. Glory filled the room. Thresholds trembled. Seraphim cried out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth” (Isaiah 6:3 CSB). No one sees this God and remains the same.
Isaiah saw a throne. Not empty. Not threatened. Occupied. He saw the Lord. Lofty. Exalted. Sovereign. The hem of His robe filled the temple because nothing contains Him. The seraphim hid their faces because not even sinless beings can bear the radiance of His purity. They cried to one another because holiness compels proclamation. Isaiah stood in that light. Isaiah stood in that smoke. Isaiah stood beneath that sound. Revelation became confrontation.
Bongani reminded us that such an encounter strips a man. He said, “It is impossible to have an encounter with God and remain the same.” Isaiah felt the weight of that truth. He heard the angels proclaim what he could not proclaim. He saw the glory that exposed everything he tried to hide. He felt the trembling under his feet and the trembling within his soul. Before Isaiah understood his sin he understood God’s holiness. Before he confessed his ruin he witnessed God’s majesty. A right view of God always precedes a right view of self.
Let this vision search you today. Let the throne lift your eyes. Let the seraphim instruct your heart. Let the trembling doorposts remind you that God is not to be approached lightly. Behold Him. Fear Him. Stand before Him in awe. Let worship rise where presumption once lived. Say with the psalmist, “The Lord is exalted above all the nations, his glory above the heavens” (Psalm 113:4 CSB). Holiness breaks in so that pride breaks down.
O Lord our God. Give us eyes to see Your holiness. Give us hearts that bow before Your throne. Purify our worship. Remove our presumption. Teach us fear. Teach us awe. Teach us reverence. Let Your glory reshape us. Let Your presence humble us. Let Your holiness expose us. And let Your grace draw us near. Amen.