This weekend I was reading in Isaiah chapter 6, where the prophet Isaiah is commissioned by the Lord. At the beginning of the chapter, Isaiah sees God high and exalted (v1) and is immediately overcome by His holiness. Isaiah’s immediate response is his own unworthiness. He says, “Woe is me, For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips” (v5 Amplified). Isaiah’s response is the same as anyone who has, or will encounter our Almighty Father. Matthew Henry says, “God’s glorious majesty should affect us all with reverence and godly fear. We are to be abased in the sense of that infinite distance that there is between us and God, and our sinfulness and vileness before him…”
This weekend, I felt undone and ruined and so aware of the distance between me and God. I felt like screaming before the Lord…Woe is me! As I went to Him, my sin was right in front of my face, and it was like black compared to white in relation to His holiness. I was reverently afraid and felt immense guilt. Then I kept reading, “…your guilt is taken away and your sins are forgiven” (Isa 6:7 NIV). How powerful is that. An idea that I know, that I say out loud to others, that I’ve read many times before…and yet in this moment was so powerfully impacting once again. You are forgiven my beloved.
Later in his commentary on these verses Matthew Henry notes how “we [would be left] undone if there be not a Mediator between us and this holy God.” Thankfully, Jesus Christ took on our sin and died so that no matter what we have done we can ask for forgiveness in His name and be forgiven for our sin. (not to mention our guilt). Let me tell you–forgiveness like that doesn’t exist in our culture today. (think credit history, GPA, driving points, etc). I’m not saying God necessarily removes all the consequences for our sins, but He removes our sins and our guilt and we “taste the sweetness and [feel] the influence of that grace” (Henry). In our gratitude for grace, we are able to go before the Lord in ultimate worship and thankfulness for what He did for each one of us on the cross. He erases our sin, guilt, and shame.
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Go tell someone about that today.
