Holy is the Lord

"And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' " Isaiah 6:3

Isaiah chapter 6 describes Isaiah's vision of the Lord, and his calling to be God's prophet to Israel. When Isaiah comes face-to-face with the holiness of God, he cries out in his despair, "Woe to me!" He confesses that he is a "man of unclean lips...among a people of unclean lips." He sees that his own unrighteousness means that he has no right to stand in the presence of the Most High God. God's response was to forgive his sins and to offer Isaiah the opportunity to serve Him. Isaiah's response is so elegant: "Here am I. Send me!"

I had the opportunity to go up to the youth area, the Harbor, this afternoon when I got off of work at preschool. This past weekend was Disciple Now at our church, and the theme of the weekend was "Holiness". The youth listened to lessons about the holiness of God, and the events of the weekend culminated in a time of reflection on Saturday night, when the kids were permitted to offer up their reflections of the messages that they had heard over the course of D-Now. As I walked around the room reading the reflections written on the paper covering the walls, I was struck by how similar to Isaiah's response that the young people's responses were. Some were confessions of their own sins and unrighteousness. Some were praises and expressions of thanksgiving for God's goodness and mercy in their young lives. Some were vows of commitment based on their newfound understanding of God's Holiness.

What a tremendous gift to the young people of FBC of The Colony; to be given a glimpse of the Holiness of God. It is also important to remember that the only way that broken, unrighteous people like myself are permitted to be in relationship to the Most High God is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A righteous response to God is to confess our sins and to turn from them and to seek forgiveness through Jesus.

This week, I hope you'll take some time to reflect on God's holiness. Be sure to thank God for His unending mercy and grace.

Grace and peace to you,

Jennifer