Holy, Holy, Holy

Today, as the Underground, we come together in prayer and fasting. Every great move of God in the Bible and throughout history begins with Extraordinary Prayer and Fasting. From the other side of eternity, we will find that the most influential people were not, perhaps, Presidents or Prime Ministers, but the people who walked with God through passionate prayer.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Read:

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Isaiah 6:1 – 4

Consider:

Imagine being with Isaiah at this moment if it’s even possible for us to grasp the depth and weight of this moment. Isaiah has been brought into God’s presence and sees the Lord’s glory on His throne. He’s seeing creatures he has never seen before. Their posture is an eternal cry of “Holy, holy, holy.” This is the response that being in the presence of the Lord demands. It’s a song of praise that goes on forever!

Pray:

Spend time over the next few moments just praising the Lord. Let him recall to your memory all that He’s done in your life. Declare His glory. Declare His holiness. Be overwhelmed by how high He is above all things.

Read:

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

Isaiah 6:5-7

Consider:

In the presence of God, Isaiah’s response is to recognize his own inadequacies. He sees the depths of his sin. He considers the inadequacies of his people. He sees the depth of the sin of his people. He’s overwhelmed with the tension: He is so sinful, and yet the Lord has brought him into his presence.

Isaiah is moved with reverence, awe, and wonder. We can imagine him falling to his knees in fear while also being overwhelmed with a sense of belonging and being welcomed into this moment.

Notice that he is not struck down for his sinfulness. Isaiah is cleansed. He has been restored in the moment.

Pray:

Now that you have spent time lifting up the name of the Lord and declaring His glory, what does it expose in you? What do you need to confess? The Lord is not heaping toxic shame on you. He welcomes your confession and cleanses you. What areas of repentance do you need to lean into? Ask the Spirit to reveal what you need to declare in confession now and begin to speak those out.

Read:

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8

Consider:

When we encounter the Lord, our tendency is to want to linger in that space, to stay. When Jesus was transfigured, Peter wanted to build a dwelling place and stay there forever. David declared in the Psalms, better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. God’s holiness, His presence, usually leads us to say, “Can I stay here forever?”

Isaiah’s encounter leads to a cleansing that leads to a sending. God does not ask Isaiah to stay. And Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord is, “I’m ready! I’ve been with you, and you have known me! Send me!” Our encounters with the holy God should lead to our mission.

Pray:

Spend time listening to the voice of God in your life now. What is He saying? Where is he leading you? Where is he asking you to? Are you responding, “Here am I, send me?” Ask Him to give you the boldness to respond in that way.

If you have a clear sense of where or to whom the Lord is sending you today, consider making an “I Will...” statement and sharing that with someone today.