There is no doubt we are living in times of transition. Change - perhaps more than we would like to consider - is upon us. What will happen? How will our freedoms be affected? Uncertainty seems the certainly. Friends are losing their jobs. The economy reals and old "fixes" don't help. What can help us?
Take a fresh look at the Lord. Isaiah did in Isaiah chapter six. What he saw provided strength to go forward into the times of change. He saw One Who is unaffected by changes on earth. He saw the One Who rules and overrules in the affairs of mankind. He saw ultimate holiness incarnate. The angels chorused around His throne, and the temple shook and filled with smoke. It is still an awesome sight. Ask God for a fresh vision of who He is. Read again the passages in the Bible that describe the glory of God. Read Moses' meeting with God in the desert in Exodus. Review Ezekiel's visions in Ezekiel chapter one. Walk the dusty paths with the disciples through the Gospel accounts of the life of the Lamb Who appears again in Revelation chapters 1, 4, 5, and 19. You will experience several things.
First, as you look again at the Lord, you will be convicted. Peter recognized that Jesus was more than a human teacher and cried, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord!" Isaiah said, "Woe is me!" When the glory of God overwhlems you, and you again see the sin in your heart in stark relief to His holiness, He can cleanse you. He will when you ask Him to.
Next, you cannot help but be encouraged. God, Whose throne is above all thrones, wins. The old king had died, the new king was a question mark, but God changes not. There is a deep settling effect from this truth. Strength, peace, and hope cannot fail in this revelation.
When the cleansing is accomplished and the encouragement floods our hearts, we can also hear something else. A voice is calling to us right now at the time of transition. This voice can only be heard by those who have come clean before God and taken strength from His appearance. "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" Do you hear this calling? Jesus told His disciples to lift up their eyes and look for the fields were ready to harvest. It remains true today. Hear the call and say, "Here am I!" Next door and around the world people are dying without having heard of the love of God and Christ's atoning sacrifice. Who will go but those who have once again seen the King of kings? Will you look into the pages of the Scriptures, meditate on the Person of the Savior, hear the call, and respond?
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