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Isaiah 6:3-8 NIV 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:3-8 reminded me of what Lent season is about. A time of prayer, self reflection and repentance.
In verse 3 we read that Isaiah came into God’s absolute holy presence and glory, and he was struck by his own sinfulness. With a contrite heart he cried out in verse 5: "Woe to me, I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips", the realisation of his sinfulness filled his heart with remorse, guilt and repentance.
In verse 7 , Isaiah experienced God’s forgiveness, "With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for"". With renewed spirit and eagerness to serve, Isaiah was able to respond to God’s calling saying, "Here am I. Send me!"
In this Lent, let us spend more time in prayer (less on social media/TV) as we seek God’s holy presence and reflect on our sinfulness. May we cry out to the Lord in repentance and experience God’s grace, forgiveness and freedom from sins.
As we grow in our relationship with God and in our faith let us pray that we too are able to say, "Here I am Lord, send me!"
Let us pray: 'O holy Father, as we come humbly before your holy presence,
we acknowledge and confess that we are all sinners, falling short of your glory.
Yet Father, you loved us by sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. And through his death and resurrection we are set free from the bondage of sins.
Indeed Father, we thank you for Your Son Jesus. We pray Father that through this Lent we will be renewed in our faith and spirit, and that we will serve you daily in our lives with eagerness so that your name may be glorified through us. In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen'
----- SUGGESTED FAST FOR THIS WEEK: FOOD
Consider fasting from lunch this week and spending that hour in prayer, reading the Word or praising the Lord through music. Or choose a specific type of food — candy, soda, meat, etc. — to fast from for the week. Or choose one day to fast from dawn until dusk, again spending the time you’d usually be eating to sit in God’s presence.