Tag: Depravity

I Saw the Lord

Justin Hibbard

In Isaiah 6, the prophet writes, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…”

Let’s stop for a moment and focus on the first words of this chapter where Isaiah says, “I saw the Lord.” Last week I mentioned how we often focus on the past (the problem) or the future (what the solution may look like) in our prayer life, before we let ourselves be consumed by the Person of God. In continuation of our series on Intimacy with the Lord, let’s see what we can expect from our prayer life when we begin by seeing the Lord.

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple,” Isaiah writes. What Isaiah saw in those moments, for however long, must have been a sensory overload, too powerful and breathtaking for his pen. He quickly begins describing the angels soaring around the Throne, covering their faces, talking to each other. What are they saying? They’re saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The picture I get in my mind is like two buddies watching a sports game. They see an amazing play, and even though they both were there, they can’t stop talking about it. In a much more profound way, the magnificent holiness of God is so compelling that these angels can’t stop talking about It, even when they’re experiencing it.

Isaiah continues with the marvelous descriptions until he suddenly stops. “Woe is me!” he says, “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

Have you ever been to a social gathering, where you felt like you were too insignificant and didn’t belong? I imagine that if I was ever invited to a White House social event, I wouldn’t stop thinking, “How is it that I get to be here with all of these important people?” And at the same time, I’d be paralyzed with the fear that I might accidentally open the wrong door and be tackled by a dozen Secret Service Agents.

Isaiah demonstrates an important truth. When we see God, we realize our depravity in the midst of such holiness. I remember one afternoon after a prayer time, my friend asked me, “What did God reveal to you?” My answer was, “I realize how messed up I am.” Many people can relate. Maybe you walk away from church like you just took a stroll down Guilt-Trip Lane. You’re bogged down with feeling so inadequate and unable to change. If that’s how you feel, then the really Good News is what happens next.

If we miss the next part of Isaiah’s vision, then we’ve missed the entire Gospel. While Isaiah entertains thoughts about how he doesn’t belong in the presence of God, one of the seraphim, with a hot coal from the altar in hand, flies over to him. With the coal, he touches Isaiah’s mouth and says, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

This is a breathtaking moment of identity. In the story of the prodigal son, the father restores his son with a robe, a ring, and a party. Here, God does it with a burning coal. The realization of our sin leads us to guilt and depression. But God’s desire is not for us to find our identity in our fallenness; He longs for us to find our identity in the atonement that He provides. Our sin enslaves us to a lifelessness, but God gives us the gift of true living – the atoned, redeemed, and resurrected life (Romans 6:23).

Isaiah’s soul is awakened. In fact, God asks, “Whom shall I send?” and guess who responds. Yes, it’s Isaiah – the very man who felt so unclean and unworthy just moments before. Once he sees who God says he is, he anxiously raises his hand and volunteers, “Here am I Lord, send me!” Isaiah is no longer a man cowering in the shadow of his depravity. No, he has seen something. He has seen the forgiveness of the Lord. His soul has been stirred. Now we know why Paul, a man who committed horrific persecution, could see the Lord, be transformed, and say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

How did this transformation begin? It began with seeing the Lord.

We will continue learning not only what it means to enter the presence of God in our prayer life but also how to do it. In the meantime, let me encourage you to do this. As you pray today, close your eyes, and begin by verbalizing the angelic words found in Isaiah 6 – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.” As you keep repeating those words, try to picture or sense yourself in Isaiah’s shoes, standing and worshipping before the magnificent Throne of God. You may have burning issues you long to bring to the Lord. First exalt Him, worship Him. Let this heavenly vision speak to your heart. In the process, you might find the answers you’re looking for, but chances are, you’re going to find so much more.

Where was God During the Colorado Massacre?

Justin Hibbard1 Comment

Whenever a horrific event like the Colorado movie massacre occurs, it seems like the talking heads are suddenly interested in focusing on God and His will. These events call into question our social theology of general agnosticism or ambivalence towards God, and without fail, the conversation turns deistic. “Where was God during this chaos? Maybe God has turned His back on our society. We’re on our own!” I’m always amazed at how someone could be so disinterested in God one moment and be so sure they’ve figured Him out the next.

Someone asked me the other day if I thought 9-11 and this massacre is evidence that God has rejected us and has turned His back on our society. I’ve been giving that question a lot of thought.

As I mentioned last week, I think Governor Mike Huckabee said it best on his Fox News program. “We don’t have a crime problem or a gun problem – or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem. And since we ordered God out of our schools and communities, the military and public conversations, you know, we really shouldn’t act so surprised when all hell breaks loose.” The bottom line is that people are either getting their identity from Jesus or a device of Satan. For some people that leads them to addictions. For others, it leads to acquiring material possessions. And for others, it turns into a power hunger to take away the dignity and life from others. It’s not just a problem; it’s a wide scale epidemic.

Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” How is God’s wrath being revealed? Verses 24, 26, and 28, use the same phrase – “God gave them over.” God allowed them everything their hearts desired. We beg for free will. We just have no idea of its ramifications until God lets us have what our hearts crave.

Sometimes I think we treat God like a cosmic condom. We fool around with astounding filth, and when some real consequence to our behavior slips in like a STD, we blame God.

You can see the trick Satan is pulling. He’s lured us away to a very dark place with very dark consequences and then convinces us to get angry at God for something we should have known was bound to happen. C.S. Lewis said, “The doors of hell are locked on the inside.” I would add, “and everyone is angry and bitter at God for not dwelling with them there.”

I realize that many of the victims in this case were little children. Some were military heroes. Some were even believers. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of sin. Like we see in the story of Achan in Joshua 7, sometimes our sin and unrepentance hurts those around us as much if not more than ourselves.

So when I see just the type of junk people are turning to in order to get their identity and the danger they are putting others in, here’s my question, “How in the world is it that this type of horrific violence doesn’t happen more often?” We live in a society that discourages Christianity, that applauds other religions, that celebrates sin and violence. How is it that this stuff doesn’t happen every day?

It’s in that question that we discover where God is. 2 Thessalonians 2:17 says, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.” Paul tells us exactly where God is. He is here. It is the Holy Spirit that restrains evil, but here’s the real frightening part, one day He will no longer restrain it. As bad as our current violence is, can you imagine what will happen when the Holy Spirit stops restraining it? When God truly gives us over to reap the consequences of our sinful desires, can you imagine the carnage?

Scripture is clear. In the midst of our Sodom, God is here. The stories about miracles and salvation are pouring in amidst the overwhelming grief of those whose lives were lost. I read the other day of one of the wounded – a 22 year-old Christian girl who was born with an inconsequential minor brain defect. Basically, she was born with a tiny channel in her brain that ran from front to back. No one would have ever known about it, except when the doctors were trying to save her life, by removing a shotgun pellet from her brain. Turns out one went up her nose, and traveled along that channel from front to back. Seems like God knew exactly what He was doing when He created her. He knew exactly where she would be on Friday, July 20th, and He knew exactly what size object was going to try to kill her. If that bullet moved a millimeter in any direction or if that channel was smaller or non-existent, we would have a 13th victim.

Yet despite these amazing stories, sadly, families of the twelve victims are weighed down with unbelievable grief. It’s not just the fruit of some psycho or some weapons, it is the fruit of Adam and Eve. It is the fruit of believing that man can live on our own, that we can make our own rules, that we can get our identity from someone other than God.

Why God didn’t intervene to prevent all twelve deaths? I don’t know. But what I do know is that these moments are reality checks for our world. There’s a great line in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Speaking of the lost boy, it says, “When he came to his senses…” If anything, this serves as a moment of spiritual awakening. It gets us to ask, “Where am I, and how did I get so far from home?” We really have three options. We can either say, “God, I hate you for leaving me here and not protecting me in this hell hole. It’s all your fault.” Or we can say, “Well, that was a frightening lesson; hope it never happens again,” and return to our current state. Or we can say, “Father, I’m done living my life my way. I need you. Please take me home.”

Many of you are home, and this message is preaching to the choir. However, this is a message we can share to those who are lost and wondering what to do with all of this tragedy and confusion. Today, like in the case of Abel, the human blood of innocent bystanders cries out from the ground. It pleads for us to turn to Jesus. It’s time to come home to a Heavenly Father who loves us and desires to protect us from our own human will.