“And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And 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!’” (Isaiah 6:3-5)
We live in a world that does pretty well at justifying its own sin and fallen-ness. It would be safe to assume that the average non-believing individual does not even view themselves as sinful or fallen. Sure, everybody does things they are not proud of – but how many people are that bad? It’s a culture of comparison. “I’ve never murdered anyone, so I’m not that bad.” “I’ve never cheated on my significant other, so I’m not that bad.” And so on, and so on. The problem is that we are qualifying our own sinfulness. We set our own limits of what is bad, and then we do our best to stay clear of those limits. The average person may view God and the idea of ultimate judgement as a points system. “I’ve done my best. I’ve stayed in the lines. Surely I’ll be fine…” Of course, as believers, we do carry an awareness of our own sinfulness – but how exhaustive is it? Do we let ourselves fall into that same culture of comparison? “I sin, but my sin is not that bad…” Is grief over our own sin even on our radar? Do we consider the holiness of God when we consider our own sin? In the passage listed above, when the prophet Isaiah has a vision of the Lord in His temple, his first thought is that of his own nature – “Woe is me…I am a man of unclean lips…my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” In other words, he says “I’m doomed! Nothing can save me because I know what I am…” He had caught a glimpse of the Lord and was faced with his own sinfulness. And he was a prophet! The good news is that he was saved. The next verses show him being cleansed of his sin. But that cleansing can only come from a holy God. Do you ever let yourself stand before God and be changed by the experience? It takes guts and vulnerability and a willingness to see yourself without blinders. But it will change you - for no one can stand before the Lord and come out the same.
Lord, you are Holy. There is no one and nothing that can compare to who you are. There is no one greater. There is no one more holy, more separate, more awesome than you. Forgive us for not seeing your holiness. Forgive us for taking your character for granted. Thank you that you do not leave us to ourselves, but step in and offer us salvation. Thank you for bringing us in to your presence and inviting us into your family. You are more than we could ever ask for or imagine, and yet you offer us your friendship with open hands. We love you. Amen.