Thoughts from Isaiah Chapter 6

 

In Isaiah’s glorious vision of the Lord seated on the throne, he witnesses the seraphim or burning ones crying out, attempting to describe the holiness of God.  What’s so compelling to me is that the seraphim aren’t talking to God, but to each other about God’s holy nature (thanks to Stuart Greaves for this insight).  And then, overwhelmed by hearing the seraphim, Isaiah is undone, ruined in fact, deeply convicted by the uncleanness of his own speech and the speech of those he lives among. 

 

What would happen if our lips and language were filled with attempts to articulate the holiness of God to one another?  What if “Holy, holy, holy” replaced the dismissive, divisive, and destructive narratives that permeate the mouths and messages of the world today?

“And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “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.          —Isaiah 6:3-5

This morning I’m sincerely praying that those same burning coals from the altar touch and cleanse my lips and the lips of those around me, so that we can release higher and holier words and revelations to the world around us.

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