Heavenly Worship

Heavenly Worship

They were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah 6:3

IN WORD Every once in a while, Scripture pulls back the curtain that divides time and eternity, and we get a brief glimpse of heavenly worship. We may crave more than a glimpse, but that’s probably all we can handle; the vision is too overwhelming for inhabitants of a fallen world.

Isaiah’s vision of the heavenly throne is one of the more famous. It must have been an awesome scene, one that mere prophetic words can hardly capture. What we can tell from this passage is that the seraphs are so enamored with the holiness of God that they can do nothing else but proclaim it; and that the scene is so powerful and pure that Isaiah is terrified by his own impurity.

The angels worship God for His holiness because that’s what they can see of Him. Isaiah, however, can see that and more. He becomes a redeemed servant, a proclaimer of both holy judgment and merciful atonement. He has seen not only the power and majesty, but the grace and mercy. He knows the gap between perfect God and fallen man, and he’s amazed that there’s a remedy. He goes on to prophesy about fallen kingdoms, the coming Kingdom, and the Intercessor who bridges the gap between them. Isaiah is a man who has seen heavenly worship and has lived to tell about it.

IN DEED That’s the role of every believer. We may not have as dramatic a vision as Isaiah did—the train of God’s robe filling the Temple, doorposts and thresholds shaking, and the voices of angels who are perpetually astounded at God’s holiness—but we know the truth. We’ve seen that scene by faith, and we’ve embraced the Intercessor who bridged the gap. We bring the same message that Isaiah was given: God is holy, we’re not, and there’s a solution.

That’s an exhilarating mission. Like Isaiah, we stand between a perfect God and an imperfect world with an imperative: point to the Bridge between them. Live your mission as your highest act of worship.

Angels, help us to adore Him; ye behold Him face to face. . . . Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise with us the God of grace.

—HENRY FRANCIS LYTE