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1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" (Isaiah 6:1-18 New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)
Happy Wednesday to all of you, ConCafe Family! And blessings designed just for you, dear Reader, be just what God has ordered for you! I thank God for having seen the pictures of my cousin awake and looking good and sharing comments about her being alive thanks to prayers lifted on her behalf! May we continue to pray, with faith, for those who have asked us to pray. Pray for one another, and pray for yourselves.
Our Old Testament professor used to say that we Americans, not having a monarchy style government, could not understand this passage fully. Israel, during the death of this beloved king, was in deep mourning. Some of you reading this can remember the USA during the death of President John F. Kennedy, and how somber that time was for our nation. I was in fifth grade so my appreciation of the full impact of that death is limited. I remember though, the devotion of time on the three networks to coverage of the death, the who behind it, the swearing in of a new president, the blood-covered dress of First Lady Jackie Kennedy, the salute of John-John as his father's casket passed. I remember the train ride of the funeral procession, and the impact this had even on Thanksgiving Day. Even that, our professor would argue, does not compare to the depth of grief on the part of Israel on the loss of a good king. He was considered good because of the political and military successes Israel had under him, and the way he was able to receive payments from foreign kings. The king died as a leper and his later years were not the best of his life; but his death was significant enough to measure the year with what happened in the life of the prophet.
Isaish finds solace in this time of mourning by being taken into the presence of Heaven and seeing the Lord seated on the throne. He was able to gaze at God and the angels that attended Him. The chatter among them was about life and not death. They each called to the other, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." God's holiness knows no end nor does it ever pause. As the psalmist said, "He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps," and this is evidence of that. And it was a point of decision for the prophet for he realizes just who he is; and that usually happens to the soul who has an encounter with the sacredness of God, a realization of our worth and our complete and total need for God. Hear Isaiah's plea, "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of uncleann lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" He declares that He is lost and struggling. He acknowledges that his sense of direction is off, and he is lost; and he realizes that he is a man of unclean lips, admitting that he has used his mouth to utter things other than holy and worshipful ones. And he realizes that he also lives among those who also have unclean lips, and even at that point, he has been able to see the King, the Lord of hosts, the Author and Creator of life. It is at his invitation that one of the angelic hosts purifies him. It seems a horrifyingly hot ordeal to be "cleansed." The seraph declares, "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." This, though, I should point out, takes place in the spiritual realm where pain is not a part of the reality, so while a live coal has touched his lips, it is cleansing not ony his lips, but his very soul, for his sin has been blotted out. And it is at this point of his purification that Isaiah hears God's important question that God still asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" I heard that, as has almost every pastor who has heard God invite and call them into ministry; and those in the spirit who hear and respond can say, and do say, as did Isaiah, "Here am I; send me!"
God was not looking for another king; God has those realms covered. What God needed, and still needs today, are those people of faith who will step up in faith and declare, like the ancient prophet, "Here am I; send me!" I love the line from the sacred hymn, "still the sturdy dreamers answered, 'To the death I follow Thee; Lord we are able, our spirits are Thine!'" And God will use us just exactly where He needs us; and more than that, He will provide the words, the situation, the opportunities, the courage, and the boldness to give witness to His love, His plan and purpose, and the light He wants us to shine into the lives still stuck in the darkness of life's oppressive force. I pray that if God so calls you, you will answer in the positive and will go as God calls. It seems almost anyone can be a king; but I believe it's harder work to be a servant of the Most High; for your impact may just save a soul from eternal death and lead them into eternal life.
PRAYER: Loving Father, we are here, and we have heard You calling; fill us with faith and joy, and all that we need to respond to the needs You have around the world. Send us and use us; let us be a part of the force that will win the world back to You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Find places to give God glory today; be His witness in a powerful way!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
