“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.””
Isaiah 6:1-8
Coming into an awareness of the presence and an experience of the One, Holy God begins to change us. Whether suddenly or slowly, an authentic visitation from God into our lives disrupts us, can even distress us, in shaking out sin (Hebrews 12.25-29) and recalibrating our awareness of God and His ways (Acts 2.1-13). When Jesus Christ came preaching, He called people to repentance: to turn around and face the reality of God (Mark 1.14-15). His acts of healing and deliverance were accompanied by a message that challenged and called people to change. God wants to meet with you; and for that to happen, there has to be repentance.
Ask God to show you the aspects in your life that need to change, the things you can begin to do something about. Attitudes. Ambitions. Relationships. A time to fast and pray? Invite the Holy Spirit to meet with you in a manner that will plunge deeply into you and expand you in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96). There are times we all need a ‘spring-clean’ in our lives, whatever the time of year. Now may well be a good time to start again.
My God, You who are a consuming fire, purge me and purify me, that I might be better fitted to represent the family you have formed through Jesus Christ. This day, I would renounce those recurring sins that I have held onto, impeding and resisting the presence and purposefulness of the Holy Spirit in my life. Heavenly Father, enable me, in my days ahead on earth, to be for your glory and the honour of Your Name, in Christ Jesus and His church. Amen.
