David Bahn – Reflections

Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah 6

¹In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ²Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

⁴And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!”

⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

The terrible tragedy in Haiti has captured the attention of the global community. Governments, churches, groups and individuals are streaming in to help in the face of the catastrophic and deadly earthquake. Others are sending much needed money to support these efforts.

Surely this is appropriate in the face of such devastation and despair. Surely we must respond with the kindness of Christ and mercy of God toward those so horribly injured and toward those who have lost loved-ones. Diane and I will give money toward these relief efforts and urge others to do so generously.

The call of God to Isaiah was no less dramatic, even though much less catastrophic. There is a world out there where God’s name is not known, or where His truth is denied and ignored. There are people hurting by their own rebellion and waywardness. When Isaiah encountered God it became clear to Him that the Holy God was to be feared.

Whatever else Isaiah or we face is nothing compared to an eternal encounter with the almighty Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with His glory. If we do not have that right – if we live as though God is a convenient option for us in times of trouble, we’re sadly mistaken: we are ruined.

This is not to diminish the terror and tragedy of the Haitian earthquake. It is to help us keep in perspective the holiness and glory of God. It is to remind us that we need to go in whatever way we are able to those in need of God’s love and grace, life and salvation: whether they have been struck by an earthquake or not.

Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! This ancient prayer is all that has been able to be on my lips lately in the face of the earthquake: the human suffering, pain and death are beyond my comprehension. Thanks be to God that He has had mercy on us. Thanks be to God that when we go, we do not go in smugness or arrogance, but in humility and kindness. We ourselves are people of unclean lips whose sin has been atoned for by God Himself. Must we not say, “Here am I, send me!” Whether we go next door or half way around the world, we go with the love, grace and mercy of Christ. Thanks be to God.