Isaiah sees the Lord

ISAIAH CHAPTER 6

In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the lord sitting on a lofty throne and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. Two wings they used to cover their faces, two they covered their feet and the remaining two they used to fly. In a great chorus they sang and the singing shook the Temple to its foundations and the sanctuary was filled with smoke.

Then Isaiah said to them, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Then one of the angels flew to the altar and picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs and touched it to my lips, Isaiah said, and the angel said, "This coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven."

Then the Lord asked, " Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?" And Isaiah answered him, " Lord, I'll go! Send me."

And the Lord said , "Yes, go. But tell my people this: You will hear my words, but you not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. Harden the hearts of these people. Close their ears, and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn to me for healing." Then Isaiah said, "Lord how long must I do this?"

The Lord replied to Isaiah, "Until their cities are destroyed, with no one left in them. Until their houses are deserted and the whole country is an utter wasteland. Do not stop until the Lord has sent everyone away to distant lands and the entire land of Israel lies deserted. Even if only a tenth-a remnant- survive, it will be invaded again and be burned. Israel will remain a stump, like a tree that is cut down, but the stump will be a holy seed that will grow again."

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: King Uzziah died because he tried to take over the high priest's duties. He may have been a generally good king, but many of his people turned away from God.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Imagine being Isaiah and he is being sent to tell people who believed they were blessed by God, that God was going to destroy them because of obedience. Hard Job? You bet!

Isaiah is one of the few people in the Bible who actually saw God. The picture he paints gives us a view of God as being powerful, great and mysterious. We must recognize how great our God truly is, and how sinful we are. And don't forget how he shows us forgiveness. In standing before a powerful God, Isaiah suddenly realized how sinful he was and how he could never measure up to God's standard of holiness. He realized how powerless and inadequate he was. But God was still willing to use Isaiah as a spokesman.

In today's world we must go through calamities in order to listen to God's words. Stop and consider what God may be telling you. Obey him before your time runs out!

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Pray for Gabe.
Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.