The Power of Godly Thinking
Isaiah 6:1-8
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
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 seraphs 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!"
THE POWER OF THOUGHT is without a doubt the greatest gift possessed by mankind. Its what separates us from the animal kingdom. Just think of it for a moment—without the power of thought there would be no dreaming, no loving, no hoping, no praying! And that’s not all. There would be no singing, no working, no purpose, no meaning in life—just mere existence.
HOW to think is the most important thing for anyone to know. What a person has for a GOAL in life will determine than manner of his thinking. How we face the problems of life; how we find satisfaction and achieve a level of happiness is determined to a great extent by the WAY we think!
Whether we are a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE thinker will determine our approach to life. That’s why it is important for us to know ourselves. We must know WHAT we think, HOW we think, and WHY we think the way we do.
But of course self-knowledge is not enough. We must know God because in knowing Him we also come to know ourselves. We have been created in His image. And since in the bible we have a record of what He has planned for us, it behooves us to become acquainted with Him through His Word.
THE GOD OF THE BIBLE INVITES US TO KNOW HIM. The Bible tells us an awfully lot about God. It tells us, for example, that He is…
Real, not abstract
Personal, not indefinite
Near, not distant
Caring, not passive
The Bible provides many ways for us to discover just what God is like and I think the best way is to study His dealings with mankind.
Isaiah’s encounter with God is an excellent place to begin. He began his career by seeing God in His full glory and holiness. This experience changed his life forever. He saw himself as God saw him. He confessed his sin and was then ready to serve his Lord.
Let’s consider together, three main facts that issue from Isaiah 6:1-8
1. God Uses Circumstances to Make Us Aware of His Presence
At the time this vision took place, Isaiah was going through a very dark valley. It was a time of loss, an experience of grief. His friend, King Uzziah, had died. Isaiah, no doubt, was full of fear. and very discouraged. For him, the death of Uzziah meant the death of hope, of promise, of dreams—not unlike the way the disciples felt after our Lord Jesus was crucified.
In some ways, we, like Isaiah and the disciples, live in very troublesome times, don’t we? War is raging all about us.
Satan is waging war against our families (divorce, same sex parenting, sexual and physical abuse).
Moral war in our nation against drugs, racism, abortion.
Spiritual war within the hearts of men for who will be Lord in their lives, which is really the root cause of all other wars. And this war is twofold: (1) sinner, (2) saint.
Isaiah, in the midst of his troublesome time, said, “I SAW THE LORD!” His earthly situation turned his eyes upward. That’s the way it is with some of us. We have to experience pain and heartache before God can get our attention. That fact ought to make us both sad and glad. Sad because God has allowed trauma and trial to be a part of our lives so that we’ll look to Him for salvation, courage, wisdom, and hope. Glad because He is there to turn to in times of personal crisis.
So, when like Isaiah, your heart is full of fear and you are troubled by the events of our times, do what Isaiah did. Turn your eyes upward. Look to God! See Him on His throne. See His majesty, His power (the doorposts and thresholds shook, vs.4) His splendor, His glory, His holiness (the angels sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,” vs.3).
Illus.: “When Blind Eyes Were Opened”
D.L. Moody, the famed evangelist, told this story at one of his meetings: One evening just before Christmas, a man was walking through the streets of an Eastern city. The store windows were all beautifully decorated, and he observed three little girls intensely interested in one of them. He discovered that the girl in the center was blind, and the others were trying to describe the beautiful things in the window. “Why,” they said, “can’t you see that Teddy bear and that doll? Just look at that pretty pink bow!”
But the poor little girl stood with a blank expression on her face and could not appreciate the beautiful things before her. “Now,” said Moody, “this is an illustration of the effort we Christians are making to arouse the unconverted to an interest and delight in spiritual things. The reason we can’t do so is because the sinner is spiritually blind.” Moody had scarcely concluded when a reporter was on the platform asking him where he had heard that story. “Oh,” said Moody, “I read it in one of those daily papers. I have forgotten which one.” Then the reporter said, “I’m the one who wrote the story because I was there and saw the whole thing. I see now that I’m just like that little girl, spiritually blind.” That man was converted then and there.
2. It Happened In the Temple
People come to God’s house for a variety of reasons—family pressure, to relieve guilt feelings, to satisfy a need to interact socially, to be with like-minded friends, to worship. Isaiah went to pray and seek God.
But regardless of WHY we go to church, GOD MEETS US HERE! Things happen in church. Miraculous things. God challenges us at time. He calls us to follow Him. He calls us to a deeper commitment. He inspires us and encourages us.
Is the PLACE where we worship important? I believe it is. God could have revealed Himself to Isaiah anywhere, but He chose His house!
What was the Lord doing when Isaiah saw Him? Was He pacing back and forth, wringing His hands? Was He frowning over the current situation? No! Was He anxious or puzzled or angry? No. He was SITTING DOWN! He was calmly seated on His throne. He was totally in charge. He was lofty and exalted. His presence filled the temple. Angelic beings surrounded Him and sang His praises. What a sight that must have been.
Have you ever been in a service where the music and the message were so powerful, so uplifting that you sensed the glory of His presence? A.H. Ackley wrote about it once:
In my failure, sin, and sorrow, brokenhearted,
crushed and torn,
I have felt His presence near me, He has all
my burdens born.
I have seen Him, I have known Him, for He
deigns to walk with me;
And the glory of His presence will be mine eternally.
O the glory of His presence, O the beauty of His face;
I am His and His forever, He has won we by His grace.
Exactly HOW do you and I “see the Lord?” Romans 10:17 gives us the answer: “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Nature only reveals His power. We see Him best in the Bible, by faith. We also see Him in the lives of others and in the prayers He has answered.
WHAT WAS ISAIAH’S REACTION when he saw the Lord? Look at the text (verse 5). He feels guilty, unclean, sinful, frightened. The contrast between God’s holiness and his humanity are too much for the prophet.
Isaiah realizes that he is in the presence of the King of kings. He feels unworthy. And that is as it should be. Man’s extremeties are God’s opportunities.
When the prophet entered the Temple it became a time of seeing God, of hearing from God, of being touched by God and then acting on that touch by volunteering to go for Him.
3. God Always Touches Us In the Area of Our Need
Did you notice WHERE God touched Isaiah? Verse 7 says it was his MOUTH—not his head or even his heart. You see, the way we talk influences so many.
Why did God touch his lips? Because they were unclean. What exactly was his sin?
Gossip?
Judging others?
Too critical of others?
Deny the Lord at some point?
Lack boldness? Verse 9 almost seems to suggest this.
Regardless of what the sin was, it kept Isaiah from being at his best for God.
Please notice two things that God accomplished when He touched the prophet’s lips: (1) cleansing, (2) commissioning. And here’s the lesson: We cannot be used by God until we confess our unworthiness and get cleansed.
By the way, did you notice what else God touched on Isaiah? Look again. He not only touched his mouth, but also his eyes, to see God’s greatness and the needs of others.
The Lord also touched the prophet’s ears so that he could hear His voice, and his heart, filling it with compassion and concern for others.
Perhaps you need the Lord to touch you somewhere today.
Your lips to speak for Him
Your eyes to see His greatness
Your ears to hear Him speak to you
Your heart to feel for the lost
Your hands and feet to go for Him
