Jul 12 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the ROUTE 66 Lord, high and exalted, seated on a Hearing the Prophets Sermons throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each Isaiah 6:1-8 with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered S Thus far on our Route 66 journey we have seen their feet, and with two they were flying. God’s His-Story in the first 17 books of the Bible. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, Each book, each story, each experience of the holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole main characters revealing God’s desire to have us earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of make the decision to give God more of our their voices the doorposts and thresholds precious time. S We then found in the 5 Wisdom shook and the temple was filled with books that God wants to be part of more of our smoke.” Isaiah 6:1-4 daily activities. He offers us daily wisdom, practical advice and acceptance as His children. S God allows us to get ourselves into a Crisis. It is often then he can get our S Today we look at what happens when a Nation ATTENTION! loses their focus on God. It also can reflect what Isaiah was written/preached to the people of happens when we, personally, get to a place in life Judah. They had a beloved King named Uzziah. and we set God on the shelf? When something And they were about to enter a time of crisis for else is always more important than our growing, the entire nation. Uzziah was King for 52 years. personal relationship with God. He started when he was 16 years old. Nearly two generations of people knew only him as their God uses 16 preachers to remind these nations of leader. There had been stability in the land of the crisis created when we do not pay attention to Judah throughout this time. But the people had God in our lives. The message is the same in all been losing their focus on God. Drifting away 17 of the books in this section. When we realize from keeping Him centered in their daily lives. we are in a crisis – it’s often because we have Just like their brothers and sisters to the north been ignoring God and He will use the situation to living in Israel, had been doing prior to being get our attention and to offer to draw us back into invaded and overrun by the Assyrians – leaving His presence. this nation in ruin and chaos. That chaos was about to invade Judah and Isaiah is telling them - These fellows were not very popular with the get prepared – and get back to GOD! people. Their message was harsh – and the people really did NOT want to hear their message. Some of you are facing a crisis right now. You But these prophets were so filled with the Spirit of feel disoriented and disheartened. The test results God and the message they defied all harassment. were not as expected. The phone call or text or They also had interesting names like Ezekiel, email changed everything. We all have or will Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and my personal favorite face those times in life. That is why the prophets’ Obadiah. Their message was intended to help a writings are so helpful. So look what happens just others see the need to return to devotion to God as the crisis was about to start. Isaiah writes – “I in their daily lives. saw the LORD!” A vision – a grand vision – a visions showing the mighty awesome wonder of Today I want to spend time in the largest of these our God who is all powerful – all seeing – all about books of prophecy and easily the most well-read. blessing his obedient children and gathering back the disobedient ones when he gets their attention. S Isaiah 6 is a great example of How God uses prophecy to get our attention and then draw us back to Him as we face a crisis.

Isaiah says our God is there in the midst of the After Isaiah experienced all of that perspective in chaos and crisis that come into each of our lives. the first 7 verses that we read, we see him really You must believe – you must begin to look – to only being able to respond in one way…here I am! expect to find him there. He has been waiting to get your attention back on Him. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ So what about you? When was the last time, in And I said, ‘Here I LORD. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 the middle of your trouble –did you sit and just consider the greatness of God? Sometimes the Some of you are in the midst of hearing God call you best thing you can do is simply start thinking right now...To that ministry at work...calling you to help someone needing your extra care or listening about the big picture of eternity! ear... calling you to step up be a leader here at church or in your family or neighborhood... You hear God There is something about the mystery of the glory saying, “Whom shall I send?” Are you ready to of God in heaven that just reminds us that the respond? That is what happened to Isaiah! He saw things of earth should not hold the power over us the coming crisis, he saw God show up in the midst that they do! When I stop to look at God’s glory in and he desired to realign himself with God. Now the midst of my everyday life as well as in the Isaiah is ready to respond to the challenge. “Here I crisis, I can’t help but desire to reaffirm my am Lord! Send me!” I’ll tell you there is no sweeter allegiance to my God and Creator! How about spot on earth than when you respond to a God in this YOU? fashion! Not only does He rescue you – but He has prepared you to get in gear. Prepared you to become engaged in the daily activity of being devoted to God Isaiah shares this vision of God and then becomes and living it out daily. overwhelmed – convicted of all his shortcomings. We all have them as humans – but we try to forget about them so we can act like we don’t S How about you? Are you ready to respond to God? really need God – at least not right now. How’s Here I am Lord – Send me! that working for you??

“‘Woe is 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.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is forgiven.’” Isaiah 6:5-7

God knows that we are all guilty. Even after our salvation time – we still accumulate a lack of focus on God at various time. When God points them out – when we experience the crisis that comes and realize we need to get back to God. He is always there. The God of heaven – the God who fills the earth with his glory – is there to rescue you.

S Once God has our ATTENTION – and we desire to reaffirm our ALLIEGENCE – then God presents us with a Challenge to get our Action.