Burning Coal

"Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.' Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

Isaiah 6:5-8

Well, you might be thinking - what an unusual passage to share! I am actually in the midst of the Isaiah precept study so this is more than likely not the first scripture from Isaiah that I will share over the next few weeks:)



I could actually write for days on all that I've learned from just these few verses alone, but I'll spare you for now! And, I'm probablly not going to focus on what you are thinking.



I want you to look at the burning coal part. To take you back just a bit, Isaiah is writing of a vision where he saw the Lord. The Lord is sitting on His throne and when Isaiah sees Him, Isaiah is in awe of God's holiness. This is where he says, "Woe to me!" Isaiah is admitting that he is a man of "unclean lips" and that he is sinful. At that moment - a seraphim picks up a burning coal and places it on the lips of Isaiah and the seraphim says "your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven." The very next word in the scripture is "THEN". It says "Then I heard the voice of the Lord." Isaiah did not hear from the Lord UNTIL his sin was taken away.



During our Bible Study time, a lady in our class said, "There is no painless way to get rid of sin." WOW. I can not imagine the pain our Saviour endured on Calvary so that I could one day enter his Holy presence. And, on earth - as we confess our sins to him - it can be so very painful as well.



Recently a precious friend of mine shared how she and her husband were fasting and praying. During this time, one was led to share a sin from the past that had been a burden for around 15 years. It was devastating news, something that could end a marriage if allowed to. Confessing this particular sin was terribly painful for the both of them - it was a burning coal. As they continued to stay in a state of prayer - God worked a miracle. In a matter of hours - as painful as confession was, healing (in their situation) was immediately taking place.



As my friend shared this story - I had just left Bible Study. I could not stop thinking about the comment shared in class. It is true, their is no painless way to get rid of sin. BUT, what comes from our confession (our burning coals) far outways the pain. We, sinful man, can hear from a Holy God. And what great things He has in store for those who are obedient to confess and come to Him.