“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
may his glory fill the whole earth!” Isaiah 6:1-3
It wasn’t too long ago that I read this scene of Heaven depicted in my Bible. I was completely taken back. This wasn’t exactly the Heaven I had imagined in my mind over and over again. The imagery here was so vivid and yet too complex to comprehend.
A few things swam in my mind that day: how the vastness of God is so large that even in Heaven His robe fills His temple, how the angels described by Isaiah is nothing like the Early Renaissance paintings we see in every museum, picture, or Google search today, and how inspiring it is to see the level of worship the angels practice in order to give glory to God.
Not being able to fully wrap my mind around what I had just read, I penned these words next to the scripture in my Bible: “Lord, train my heart for eternal worship.”
There have been several times I’ve gone back to that prayer scribbled in the margins of my Bible and reflect on the question, How do we prepare for eternal worship here on earth?
While the answer to this question holds many answers, I believe one is found in the words of Isaiah, “And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; may his glory fill the whole earth” (Isaiah 6:3).
Did you catch the first part of that verse? One called to another.
These angels are in the Throne Room of God, surrounded by His presence and encircled around His Throne, and they are declaring the Holiness of God to one another.
Each from of their own vantage point of God, they are proclaiming how they see God’s Holiness from where they stand.
Isn’t this what we do when we share with others what God has done in our own lives?
When we share our stories we are sharing the Truth of who God is. We are declaring His Holiness because of His character and what He’s done in our lives to redeem us.
From our own vantage point of God we proclaim how we see God’s Holiness from where we stand.
This is worship – both from the earthly and eternal sides of Heaven.
Throughout the Bible we read the stories of the people God used to build His Kingdom. These people were no different than you and me. They struggled. They didn’t always get it right. Often they messed up – majorly.
Moses carried an entire nation of people into a new country and yet, murder, shame, and a fiery temper was still part of his story.
Noah built the ark that saved him and his family from the destructive flood and yet, his lack of self-control as it pertained to alcohol was still part of his story.
David slayed the Goliath and was a great King in Biblical history and yet, adultery, greed, and pride were still a part of his story.
There are countless stories in the Bible that follow generations of people with character flaws. These flaws leave a trail of bad mistakes that continue to find their way into our society today because we live in a sin-ridden world and there’s no perfect person besides Jesus.
But, here’s the beautiful thing about our imperfections – even as ugly as they often are, our imperfections are still a part of our story.
Our imperfections serve the same purpose as the failures that are written in the pages of scripture. They serve to give God the glory.
Our failures, our imperfections, and the messy parts of our stories serve to let us know the great depth of God’s love for us and the great need we have for a perfect Savior.
Sharing our story and how God has redeemed us is an act of worship that prepares us for something much greater than this earth has to offer. It prepares us for our eternal worship.
When you’re telling someone about Jesus, don’t be afraid for it to start with your story.
- Brittany