Today’s prayer is based on an Old Testament reading: Isaiah 6:1-8. I hope you will take
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:1-8 NIV)
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Let us pray in response:
Father, with the words of Isaiah’s story gripping our minds, we turn to you in amazement. With questions, we turn to you. With bewilderment, we turn to you. There is so much we do not understand. With transfixed gaze, we see you in our imagination as Isaiah described and we wonder in awe at what he saw. You are beyond our expectations and our wildest imagination.
Help us to remember that you have not changed, that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. You are now and eternally high and lifted up. You are exalted above our ability to comprehend. Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts; your ways are wiser than our ways. Your love is truer than our love. Your purposes are holy and pure, certain and absolute.
May we learn from the examples of Isaiah and the seraphs to approach our Holy, Awesome God with praise, in an attitude of reverence and humility. Forgive us when we live by a smaller image of you, and when we take you for granted. Inspire our understanding as we reflect on who you are and seek to enter your presence with a contrite heart, honest about ourselves before you. Help us recognize that we do not come close to measuring up to any level of worthiness to enter your pure presence, for we have sinned and fallen short of the glory you intended for your creation. We fail and live among people who fail day after day.
Touch our lips today, O Lord, and cleanse our speech. Touch our thoughts today and cleanse our minds. Touch our hearts today and clear away the guilt, the fear, the anger and hurt. Cleanse and comfort us with your redemption and forgiveness. Grant us
Open our ears to hear your call sounding out over the eons, still calling as to Abraham, Moses
We pray in the name of the One who answered your call on our behalf, the One sent to seek us out, sent to reconcile us to you and to one another, even Jesus the Messiah. Amen.
