The Necessary

Today is Sunday, the sixth of February, 2022, in the fifth week of Ordinary Time.

May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts today!

Day 23,341

Wow. I’m struggling to focus, this morning. I need to get moving, as I have only about thirty minutes to get through this. I did spend a little of that time in prayer, at least.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; 
be not envious of wrongdoers! 
For they will soon fade like the grass 
and wither like the green herb. 
Trust in the LORD, and do good; 
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 
Delight yourself in the LORD, 
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalms 37:1-4 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

1. for that last verse, and the promise that if I delight myself in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart
2. for the comfort given throughout Psalm 37, regarding not getting all worked up because of "evildoers"
3. for the vision of holiness seen by Isaiah in chapter 6
4. that my sins, just like Isaiah's, have been atoned for
5. for the ability to seek Your Kingdom first and know what is important in this life

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; 
and the train of his robe filled the temple. 
Above him stood the seraphim. 
Each had six wings: 
with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 
And one called to another and said: 
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; 
the whole earth is full of his glory!" 
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 
And I said: 
"Woe is me! For I am lost; 
for I am a man of unclean lips, 
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; 
for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" 
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 
And he touched my mouth and said: 
"Behold, this has touched your lips; 
your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." 
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 
"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" 
Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."
(Isaiah 6:1-8 ESV)

I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Isaiah to have been transported to that holy place in this vision. But I do see that Isaiah immediately knew that he was unworthy to be in the presence of the Almighty. I wonder what I would cry out to God in the same situation. It would, no doubt, be similar to Isaiah’s cry, for, indeed, I, too, am a man of “unclean lips,” and I, too, “dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”

But the Lord, in His graciousness, cleanses Isaiah. And He has cleansed us. Can we receive the words of the Lord, this morning, and believe that our sin has been atoned for? I may not have had hot coal touch my lips, but I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. My sins, past, present, and future, are atoned for. This, and only this, makes me worthy to stand in His presence. May we join with the Seraphim and sing,

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; 
the whole earth is full of his glory!" 

Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall ever be, world without end. Alleluia. Amen.

(From Pray As You Go)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:33 ESV)

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
(Luke 10:41-42 ESV)

Father, help me, today, to orient my priorities correctly. Show me the things that are necessary and the things that are not. Let me sit at Your feet the way Mary did, absorbing the things that You are teaching.

Thank You for the admonitions to not fret over the “evildoers.” This is so appropriate for our day, as there are many in Your Church who are doing exactly that. Only we don’t all agree on who the evildoers are, so this makes it even more complicated. Help us have eyes for only You and worship only You, Father. I thank You for the promises that if we delight ourselves in You, we will know and have the desires of our hearts.

Thank You for the vision of Holiness in Isaiah. I pray that I can live and walk in that vision, today. Thank You for the atonement for all our sins, that we can stand, worthy, in Your presence because of Jesus Christ.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, 
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O, Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
grant us Your peace.
(Agnus Dei)

Grace and peace, friends.