God’s “Presents” or His “Presence?” - Encouragement Café - December 9

God’s “Presents” or His “Presence?”
 By Dawn Neely

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  Isaiah 6:1-7 NASB

God is holy.  He is righteous, merciful, glorified, majestic, creator, and full of grace.  But above all He is holy. 

What does that mean to us? 

In this fallen world, there is not a lot of holiness around for us to feast our eyes upon.  That is why I think we forget how holy our God is.  Unfortunately we may have treated God as if He were our “Holy Butler,” awaiting our requests, granting what we think is best, and then putting Him in the backs of our minds until we think we need Him again.  

Do we only want His presents; not His presence? 

The verses in Isaiah give me pause to think upon His holiness.  “The train of His robe fills the temple.”

How large is your sanctuary? 

God’s robe would fill it.  The Bible tells us there is no need for the sun or the moon in heaven for God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb (Revelation 21:23 NAS).  In heaven, God sits on a throne, exalted and praised without ceasing and the creatures say, 

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the almighty who was and is and who is to come.  Revelation 4:8 NAS

The three-fold proclamation of “Holy” is unusual in scripture and indicates the strongest use of the word.

The whole earth is full of His glory.  Everything we are, everything we have is because God willed it to be.  The foundations of the thresholds tremble at His voice.  

When is the last time we trembled at the voice of God? 

His holiness reminds us of our lack thereof.  When Isaiah looked upon God he exclaimed, “I am undone!”

How true for each one of us.  God is above all and is to be worshipped as the supreme, omnipotent being in the universe, yet our familiarity with God can dull our senses to His holiness.

Let us return to the true heart of worship.  Seeking His presence requires time spent in prayer, bible study and being still to listen to the heart of God.  Just as God allowed the seraphim to proclaim Isaiah’s iniquity taken away and his sins forgiven, God has made the way through Jesus Christ to forgive our sins through the blood of the Lamb and promises us an abundant life and a life beyond this world. 

What an awesome God we serve!  How deserving He is of our praise, adoration and worship.  I am so thankful for the holiness of God! 

When is the last time you trembled at the Word of God?  Do you recognize the holiness of God in your daily life? 

Take time to read about worshipping God in heaven in Revelation, chapter 4.  As you read this chapter, meditate on each verse, and seek to have a greater understanding of God’s holiness. 

God has asked us to be holy as He is holy.  While we will never be perfect this side of heaven, we can reach toward the goal God has set before us.  

What needs to be purged from your home; your CD’s; your MP3 player; your life?  This is not about thou shalt not but rather finding your pathway to a greater sense of holiness before God.

Dear Holy God, forgive me when I forget how truly holy you are.  Help me to move toward holiness in my life, no matter what that requires.  I am awe struck when I read how you are worshipped in heaven and how holy, righteous and awesome you are.  Thank you for being my God.  Thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior.  Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Amen 

© 2019 by Dawn Neely.  All rights reserved.

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