He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6.

Sometimes, when I read Scripture, it helps me to personalize the verses…You saved us…not because of righteous things we had done…but because of Your mercy…You saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom You poured out on us generously through You…Jesus Christ our Savior. Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit, loves you and me with a love that is so personal that we are washed and cleansed of everything that hinders that love between us and Him.

And reading our chapter, Isaiah 6, Isaiah experienced that intervention of cleansing that only God can bring. 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. v. 1-4. Can you imagine seeing that in vision? Like nothing we see in our world was the vision Isaiah saw. And what did Isaiah do? “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.” v. 5. Does that not describe each of us and all people living in this world? What would be your experience and understanding? 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.” v. 6-7. Why was this vision happening to Isaiah? 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!” v. 8. Would we be ready to respond as Isaiah did, trusting that God had faithfully intervened for us and atoned for our sins, our guilt? He said, “Go,” and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” v. 9-10. Can you imagine. Your own people, whom God had chosen to be a light to the world stopped from understanding because of their rebelliousness to God. Then I said, “For how long, Lord?” And He answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” v. 11-13.

How can we read Scripture and not wonder if that was us in the place of those written about, what would we do? One day it will be us. One day we will stand before Almighty God. His love was not just for Isaiah or David or Abraham or Mary. We are His children created in His image and loved by Him. And we have unclean lips and live among those with unclean lips. Our world is saturated with uncleanness and worse…unfaithfulness. Why do you think God bound them to not understanding? They didn’t want to understand, or see, or hear God’s truth and love for them. They wanted to believe the lies they lived. But God saved the remnant, a tenth, a holy seed. I don’t know about you, but I want to be of the remnant. I want to be faithful to God and see and hear and understand as He reveals His truth. Why? Because God’s love is personal. And He has so much for us to understand. How? When? When we draw near to God. When we trust Him to love us and us to love Him. For how long? For eternity with Him!