Monday, September 25, 2006
Isaiah
this week has been crazy. just wanted to let you know a little something that God's been pushing...it comes from Isaiah chapter 6.
Focus this past Wednesday was on the holiness of God. the theme for the semester is "Our God Reigns." the service started out with people stationed at every door with a towel and a basin of water. they instructed us to take off our shoes and wash our hands. we did, went in and sat down. we were a little early, so we just sat and watched the power point for awhile, chatted a bit. the power point was all verses proclaiming the holiness of God.
i was struggling being in the moment, though. i thought i was going to get to see Courtney for the first time in months, but she was sick, so i didn't get to. i was really disappointed, and it was affecting me, probably way more than it should have been.
the first guy to get up and talk a little bit was a student giving an introduction and a prayer. in his prayer, he asked God to allow us to leave everything behind and live in the moment and allow Him to meet us there. it was an amazing perspective check.
the speaker got up later and started his thing, going through mostly Old Testament passages, talking about how holy God is. he got to Isaiah. chapter 6. and i got excited. i'm thinking, bring it on, God, this is a feel-good verse for me! God says "whom shall I send? who will go for Me?" and Isaiah, echoing the cry of my own heart calls out "Here am i! send me!" (verse 8). bring me to verse 8, i was thinking...speak to me through verse 8.
he never got to verse 8.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "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."
you see, before i can even hear the Lord asking "whom shall I send, who will go for Me?" i have to be purified. before i can even begin to give the answer that i long to cry out "SEND ME! SEND ME!," i have to be purified. i am a woman of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips. more than that, i am a woman with an unclean heart, living among a people of unclean hearts. a burning live coal cannot feel good touching your lips. purification hurts. so now i'm struggling with the fact that i know i must be purified, but i know that it will hurt. i still must submit.
************************************************
i'm so thankful for AOL. really, i am. some days you just need to be on, to be filled up, to be reminded of relationships, to keep them going. and if instant messenger will help keep relationships that i've built over the past few years that now we are separated by distance, then i'll take it.
k, i've gotta go to class.
peace
Focus this past Wednesday was on the holiness of God. the theme for the semester is "Our God Reigns." the service started out with people stationed at every door with a towel and a basin of water. they instructed us to take off our shoes and wash our hands. we did, went in and sat down. we were a little early, so we just sat and watched the power point for awhile, chatted a bit. the power point was all verses proclaiming the holiness of God.
i was struggling being in the moment, though. i thought i was going to get to see Courtney for the first time in months, but she was sick, so i didn't get to. i was really disappointed, and it was affecting me, probably way more than it should have been.
the first guy to get up and talk a little bit was a student giving an introduction and a prayer. in his prayer, he asked God to allow us to leave everything behind and live in the moment and allow Him to meet us there. it was an amazing perspective check.
the speaker got up later and started his thing, going through mostly Old Testament passages, talking about how holy God is. he got to Isaiah. chapter 6. and i got excited. i'm thinking, bring it on, God, this is a feel-good verse for me! God says "whom shall I send? who will go for Me?" and Isaiah, echoing the cry of my own heart calls out "Here am i! send me!" (verse 8). bring me to verse 8, i was thinking...speak to me through verse 8.
he never got to verse 8.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "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."
you see, before i can even hear the Lord asking "whom shall I send, who will go for Me?" i have to be purified. before i can even begin to give the answer that i long to cry out "SEND ME! SEND ME!," i have to be purified. i am a woman of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips. more than that, i am a woman with an unclean heart, living among a people of unclean hearts. a burning live coal cannot feel good touching your lips. purification hurts. so now i'm struggling with the fact that i know i must be purified, but i know that it will hurt. i still must submit.
************************************************
i'm so thankful for AOL. really, i am. some days you just need to be on, to be filled up, to be reminded of relationships, to keep them going. and if instant messenger will help keep relationships that i've built over the past few years that now we are separated by distance, then i'll take it.
k, i've gotta go to class.
peace
// posted by erinlizabeth @ 1:17 PM 
Comments:
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Yeah I needed it too. I think God is working backwards in me sometimes. I already "went" but wonder if I would have allowed for more purification before leaving how much more equipped and ready I'd be here to do God's will.
It was so good to talk to you the other night. I'm leaving soon to go to the country with Lena and her family. She misses you and has mentioned it several times...how that summer you guys were here changed her life.
:-) love you!!
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It was so good to talk to you the other night. I'm leaving soon to go to the country with Lena and her family. She misses you and has mentioned it several times...how that summer you guys were here changed her life.
:-) love you!!
# posted by 
: 9/29/2006 10:12 PM
: 9/29/2006 10:12 PM << Home
