SEPTEMBER 10 "DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?"
Isaiah is Definitely seeing things that we will never see, at least on this side of eternity. I was encouraged to read that in God's presence Isaiah did see something that I can say, I also saw! What is it that we both saw? We both saw that we are sinful men of unclean lips among a sinful people. Not, often, but I have had a few opportunities, in the past few years, to speak in front of some rather large crowds (larger than I'm used to at least) God's presence was there, words were given, a picture drawn before them (metaphorically speaking) and what was heard and what was seen? To the surprise of many, .....not much.
I have been in the presence of much, much smaller crowds and yet have seen more eyes and ears opened. The Lord says, "they listen carefully, but do not understand, Watch closely, but learn nothing. Harden the hearts of these people.....they will not see with their eyes nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing". It's too bad, because that's exactly what is needed in this situation that has allowed me to speak to so many, ie:.healing. Will there be healing as God would have it? Probably not! Why? Because they don't see what you see and don't hear what you hear. What do you see when you are in God's presence? Do you see an interior that does not have aesthetics to your liking, do you hear singers that sing off key. I was amazed to see so many people come into God's presence yet not see and not hear. However this is a good reminder to us, that the ability of the hearer to hear, and those present to see is never in the hands of the speaker. What happens to that individual once he or she gets in the presence of God is strictly between two principals and those two principals are: God and that individual! Isaiah is simply the messenger and once Isaiah takes on more of a burden than that he has over stepped his duty for which he volunteered for and this will only lead to Isaiah's discouragement and/or self-deprecation. "In the year of Uzziah's death I saw the Lord'. Isaiah needed to see The Lord at this juncture in his life, but could we say that Isaiah was the only one that needed to see the Lord? Obviously not, there were many that needed too and many that needed to even more so than Isaiah. However they saw nothing and God goes further to say, "they will continue to see nothing and hear nothing and will not receive comfort from me because their hearts are hardened, but give the message regardless. We as God's messengers must always deliver the message, even if we believe the response is going to be a pre-determined conclusion, so to speak. Often we walk away and think, "why didn't I say that, if only I had done this, if I had preached harder, prayed more, done this, done that" as if somehow, we have in ourselves the capacity, if we do well enough or exert enough effort, to save a soul. Imagine the condemnation we would walk around with, thinking, "if I had done a better job, that person could have made heaven their home, but now they're going to hell because.....I'm not a good witnesser, I don't know enough scripture, I'm not good with people". I wonder how many Christians walk around with that yoke upon their necks? What do you see or what did you see many years ago or perhaps a few months or weeks ago, when you came into God's presence? I saw what Isaiah saw, that I was a man of unclean lips, a sinful man. I was in God's presence, in a Sanctuary, a man delivered a message, but what took place from that moment was solely between God and I. What you see and what you hear in God's presence is solely a reflection of your heart. We know that the moon gets it's light from the reflection of the Sun's Light and we know now, that a person's countenance, response in God's presence, is merely a reflection that's coming off their heart, whether we see it, discern it or not, it is a reflection of the heart that's casting a shadow over what they have heard and saw.
I have been in the presence of much, much smaller crowds and yet have seen more eyes and ears opened. The Lord says, "they listen carefully, but do not understand, Watch closely, but learn nothing. Harden the hearts of these people.....they will not see with their eyes nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing". It's too bad, because that's exactly what is needed in this situation that has allowed me to speak to so many, ie:.healing. Will there be healing as God would have it? Probably not! Why? Because they don't see what you see and don't hear what you hear. What do you see when you are in God's presence? Do you see an interior that does not have aesthetics to your liking, do you hear singers that sing off key. I was amazed to see so many people come into God's presence yet not see and not hear. However this is a good reminder to us, that the ability of the hearer to hear, and those present to see is never in the hands of the speaker. What happens to that individual once he or she gets in the presence of God is strictly between two principals and those two principals are: God and that individual! Isaiah is simply the messenger and once Isaiah takes on more of a burden than that he has over stepped his duty for which he volunteered for and this will only lead to Isaiah's discouragement and/or self-deprecation. "In the year of Uzziah's death I saw the Lord'. Isaiah needed to see The Lord at this juncture in his life, but could we say that Isaiah was the only one that needed to see the Lord? Obviously not, there were many that needed too and many that needed to even more so than Isaiah. However they saw nothing and God goes further to say, "they will continue to see nothing and hear nothing and will not receive comfort from me because their hearts are hardened, but give the message regardless. We as God's messengers must always deliver the message, even if we believe the response is going to be a pre-determined conclusion, so to speak. Often we walk away and think, "why didn't I say that, if only I had done this, if I had preached harder, prayed more, done this, done that" as if somehow, we have in ourselves the capacity, if we do well enough or exert enough effort, to save a soul. Imagine the condemnation we would walk around with, thinking, "if I had done a better job, that person could have made heaven their home, but now they're going to hell because.....I'm not a good witnesser, I don't know enough scripture, I'm not good with people". I wonder how many Christians walk around with that yoke upon their necks? What do you see or what did you see many years ago or perhaps a few months or weeks ago, when you came into God's presence? I saw what Isaiah saw, that I was a man of unclean lips, a sinful man. I was in God's presence, in a Sanctuary, a man delivered a message, but what took place from that moment was solely between God and I. What you see and what you hear in God's presence is solely a reflection of your heart. We know that the moon gets it's light from the reflection of the Sun's Light and we know now, that a person's countenance, response in God's presence, is merely a reflection that's coming off their heart, whether we see it, discern it or not, it is a reflection of the heart that's casting a shadow over what they have heard and saw.
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