“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…” (Isa. 6:1). Isaiah walked into the temple grieving the fall of a long–reigning king and discovered the greater reality: the Lord still seated, high and lifted up. Beloved, when thrones on earth wobble, heaven’s throne does not (Ps. 11:4). The seraphim’s cry—“Holy, holy, holy”—reminds us that God’s holiness is not merely moral purity; it is His blazing otherness, His absolute supremacy over all (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8). Start here: look up. Let worship steady your heart when the news won’t (Rom. 8:28).
Then, like Isaiah, look in. A fresh vision of the Holy One humbles the soul: “Woe is me… I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5). Scripture says our words reveal our hearts (Matt. 12:34), and James warns that the tongue can scorch like fire (Jas. 3:6). Bring your lips, your feed, your posts to the altar of God. Pray David’s prayer before you speak: “Let the words of my mouth… be acceptable in Your sight” (Ps. 19:14). This is poverty of spirit—the doorway to the kingdom (Matt. 5:3). The proud compare themselves with others; the contrite compare themselves with God and bow low.
Now look to the altar. A burning coal touches Isaiah’s lips, and God declares what every weary sinner longs to hear: “Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged” (Isa. 6:7). Cleansing is God’s work, not ours. It flows from Christ’s sacrifice, foreshadowed by the altar and fulfilled at the cross (Isa. 53:5). Confess, and trust His promise: “He is faithful and just to forgive… and to cleanse” (1 Jn. 1:9). Let grace move from doctrine to delight—receive it afresh today.
Finally, look out. Cleansed lips become commissioned lips: “Whom shall I send…? Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:8). The order matters—worship, cleansing, then witness. God sends imperfect people to proclaim a perfect Savior. Some will hear and not understand (Isa. 6:9–10; Matt. 13:14–15). Don’t measure faithfulness by visible results. Sow, water, weep, and keep going; God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6–7). Even in hard seasons, the Lord keeps a remnant and a holy seed (Isa. 6:13). Your quiet “yes” today may be part of that hidden long work of God.
How, then, shall we walk? Begin each morning with the “up-look”—read a few verses and adore the King (Ps. 5:3). Practice the “in-look”—ask the Spirit to search your words before they leave your lips (Ps. 139:23–24; Jas. 1:19). Embrace the “altar-look”—return to Christ’s cleansing whenever sin stings your conscience (Heb. 9:14). And live the “out-look”—offer your ordinary places to Jesus: your table, your text threads, your Tuesday commute. Pray simply, “Lord, here I am. Send me to the next person in front of me.”
Take heart, dear ones. Earthly kings rise and fall, but Jesus remains the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Fix your eyes on Him, receive His grace, and step into the day with cleansed lips and willing feet. “The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:3)—and He delights to shine that glory through you.
Koinonia Fellowship
Sundays at 8:30a and 10:30a
500 Main St. East Rochester, NY 14445
