Arise from ashes of grief and sin....

 Isaiah 6:5-8
"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." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 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!"

As Isaiah becomes acutely aware of his sinfulness his heart cries out to God,"Woe to me, I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips". It was not just his state of sinfulness that made him grieve but it was also the fact that he "lived among a people of unclean lips." Implicit in this remark is the possibility that like anyone of us Isaiah struggled with "compromise". Note that the sin Isaiah identified he was guilty of--having an "unclean lips"--was identical with the sin of the people around him. 

How people live around us does have an impact on our lifestyle. Yet we are commanded by the word of God to " not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of  our mind. Then we will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will""(Romans 12:2). We must then be wise to choose who we hang out with for as The Apostle Paul puts it: "Bad company corrupts good character" (I Cor. 15:33). 

As Isaiah,confesses his sinfulness in the presence of the Lord "one of the seraphs flew to Him with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched Isaiah's mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 

What a relief it would have been for Isaiah to hear those words. Suddenly the Presence of the Lord--the place where he became aware of his unworthiness before the Lord--becomes the place of cleansing and atonement. He was a free man! Today it saddens my heart to see children of God run away from Him due to sin. By so doing many have completely backslidden from their faith. Isaiah, however, did not run away from God when he came face to face with his sinfulness. Even in his grief Isaiah stayed in the presence of the Lord; because He did, he received God's mercy and there in the presence of the Lord, God took away his guilt and purified him.

God's forgiveness empowered Isaiah to continue serving the Lord. Isaiah 6:8 records the dialogue between Isaiah and the Lord.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!"

What a testimony to God's grace and faithfulness, and to His restoring power. From complete discouragement ,due to his failure, Isaiah arises to present himself before the Lord as a servant willing to be sent; from guilt, self-condemnation and perhaps a sense of unworthiness, the prophet arises before the presence of the Lord with a new-found faith and confidence that God has found him worthy to continue to be His mouthpiece to Israel. From a downcast stature Isaiah jumps up to his feet and tells God, "Here am I. Send me!"

What an encouragement to know that I can run to God even in times of failure. That if I come to Him in humility acknowledging my unrighteousness, that He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9). Not only that...what a joy to know that I need not let sin disqualify me from serving God. If I humble myself and  run to God's presence, there I can be sanctified, restored and empowered to continue to serve Him. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness!






 

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