Isaiah 6:5 ESV  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!”

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

Having received a renewed vision of the majesty and holiness of God, Isaiah is immediately aware of his own sinfulness. This is the challenge and difficulty of approaching God. The closer we get, the greater the light shines into our lives and illuminates the dark corners, revealing the dust and grime of sin, whose presence we were previously unaware of.

Isaiah is not alone in this experience. Job expresses a deep consciousness of guilt, after seeing the holiness and majesty of God:

Job 42:5-6 ESV  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

The apostle Peter expresses a similar sentiment after the miracle of a large catch of fish.

Luke 5:8 ESV  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

The painful truth is this: we cannot get close to God without confronting our sin. This truth may adequately explain why so few pursue God passionately. To do so is to plumb the depths of our own inadequacies, insecurities, ill-tempers, and iniquities. We cannot remain comfortable, indeed we cannot remain the same, when we confront the glory, majesty, and holiness of God. God remains unchanged, demanding that we change as we move ever nearer or withdraw if we refuse.

May the Fellowship of the Burning Heart press on into His presence and face the painful truth. And may we join King David in praying:

Psalms 139:23-24 ESV  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!