What Do We Burn and Yearn For In Life?

Last Sunday I referred to the Seraphim, who are described in Isaiah 6:1-5 as angelic beings who are in the very presence of God. These angels are magnificent and awesome. Some have suggested the Seraphim are of the highest order of angels because they are in the very presence of God. They are described as having six wings. They flew with two wings and with two they covered their faces and with two they covered their feet. So, despite their magnifence and awesome apprearance, they covered their faces and feet because they were in the presence of Someone far greater and more powerful. Furthermore, they were worshipping this Being by declaring Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty. They were drawing special attention to the glory and majesty of God.

What an image! How does this image affect you and I today? Isaiah was affected by saying, "I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips." The Hebrew means that Isaiah was describing the affect upon him as being disintegrated in the presence of God. For those who are in Christ, we no longer need to fear this disintegration before the presence of God. We can boldly go into the presence of this awesome Being, because of Christ's shed blood for us. But what affect does this reality have upon us today?

The Seraphim were exstatic about this and praised God continually as they were in God's presence. What is more telling to me is what the word Serpahim means. It means, "Burning ones." Why are they called this? Names of people in the bible describe the person. I believe the Seraphim are called burning ones, because they were burning and on fire for the glory of God and because of the holy nature of God. Perhaps this is the affect of being in the presence of God.

Yesterday a very dear friend of Laura's and mine died after a fifteen year battle with cancer. I had spoken to his oldest son. We cried together and grieved, but we also pondered what it must be like for his dad, Steve. We remembered that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Steve was the long-time worship leader of his church. Now, I can only imagine how he is burning up and so on fire as he is in the presence of the Lord.

May we enjoy and sense the presence of the Holy One even now. May God strip away our attachment and affections for the things of this world, so that we are overwhelmed and overcome with firey passion for this awesome, majestic and Holy Being.

Beams Away!