Here am I.

I like to think about heaven. There are times that I long to be there, to leave behind this fallen world, to be in the presence of God Almighty.

In the Bible, there are a few places where God gives us a glimpse of heaven. My favorite is Isaiah 6. The prophet Isaiah records his vision of heaven.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, 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 voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to 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 atoned for.”

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!”

Can you imagine being in the presence of our holy Jehovah Sabaoth? You can't even tiptoe into the room without stepping on the hem of his garment that fills the temple. And then we see God cleansing Isaiah of his guilt and atoning for his sin. If I were Isaiah, at this point, my fear would be gone and I would be perfectly content to stay with God forever. Instead, Isaiah hears God ask a question.

"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

Isaiah is quick to answer, "Here am I. Send me!"

I don't really know what the year 2012 holds for you or for me. It may be a time when God uses burning coals to cleanse me and transform me more to his image. God often uses events in our lives to do just that.

I want to be ready when he calls me. I don't want to hesitate. I want to be able to say, "Here am I. Send me!" I want to be prepared to serve Him.

Are you prepared to serve God in whatever way he calls you? Have you studied his Word to know his Truth? Are you willing to do the right thing when others around you fall? Do you spend time in prayer? Do you have a church family that knows the Lord and supports you in following him? Are you looking for where God is working so you can join him?

That's my prayer for you for the year 2012.