Seeing the Sovereign King in Seasons of Uncertainty

Many years ago, the psalmist asked, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). During the time of the prophet Isaiah, the kingdom of Judah was experiencing a severe crisis. The nation was traumatized. King Uzziah, who had reigned for fifty-two years and had brought prosperity, victory, and peace, had died. Now, he hadn’t been perfect, but he had been God-fearing.

In the midst of this national upheaval, the prophet Isaiah took his anxiety, worries, and apprehensions to the temple—to his knees in prayer. In that moment of brokenness, God overwhelmed Isaiah with a splendid, glorious vision.

The God of power and might is ready to manifest Himself among His faithful people. In the midst of fear, disappointment, and misplaced hope, Jesus is saying, "Look at Me! I, who once was dead, am now alive forever. I am the only one who can give you a vision for life, who can pour out My Spirit of joy and peace upon you—a joy that no one can take away. I, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, can be your eternal possession." Just as nightfall sets off the incredible splendor of the stars, in challenging times, the King of kings can become more visible to us. Isaiah’s vision is a vision that should lift our sagging spirits, lighten our heavy hearts, strengthen our wobbly knees, and remind us afresh that the one true King never abdicates His throne.

What do we learn from Isaiah’s vision? God is compassionate in our struggles. He didn’t just show Isaiah a general revelation of His sovereign rule; He gave him a special revelation of His total control of the universe, of His care for His children. I don’t know about you, but I have experienced the joy of the presence of the Lord more in my brokenness than in times of sunshine. In fact, God so loves us that He will empty the throne of our hearts of anything on which we have placed our dependence, that He may fill it Himself.

No matter who or what your Uzziah is, when your Uzziah dies, you can look up to the true King. The resurrected, glorified, soon-coming King Jesus is the King of glory. Losses will come. Circumstances will change. Politicians will come and go. Economic conditions will go up and down. Death will separate us from loved ones. But nothing will take away the only one who can fill up our empty spaces (see Romans 8:38-39).

When John the revelator was exiled on the island of Patmos, he saw the glorified Jesus, who said to him, "Weep not, John. I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the beginning and the end and everything in between" (see Revelation 22:12-13). When we fix our eyes on the glorified Jesus, we can endure, and even more, we can thrive until the day He returns and we see Him face to face.

Scripture calls us to remember the weight of the glory of God—He is more fulfilling than anything this world could offer. He alone is worthy of our every thought, as that lofty chorus bears witness: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). The angels’ chorus is a declaration that God is above and separate from all the limitations and imperfections of His creation. Therefore, we can turn to Him with confidence when storms assail us. We can find refuge and hope in Him alone.

When we see the one true God for who He is—faithful, sovereign, matchless, unchanging, perfect— we are made starkly aware of our sin. We are compelled to confess our weakness and behold His amazing grace. When Isaiah saw the holy and sinless angels reverently worshiping God, he was stricken by his unworthiness. In his state of wretchedness, of feeling utterly undone, an angel took a burning coal from the altar, a symbol of purity and anointing, and pressed it to his lips, cleansing him (see Isaiah 6:6-7). When anyone becomes conscience-stricken by his or her sin and failure, such a posture of humility will lead to divine forgiveness. In fact, without acknowledgment of sin, without repentance, there can be no salvation. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness when we repent, just as the hymn "O for a Thousand Tongues" proclaims: "His blood can make the foulest clean."

Isaiah went into the presence of God with a crippling burden of anxiety, but he came out of the presence of God with a lightness of heart and a renewed sense of mission. After he was cleansed, Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). Once you’ve come clean with God, He will empower you for the unique mission He has prepared for you (see Ephesians 2:10). It’s a mission no one else can do. Your mission is never duplicated. It’s yours alone; your name is written all over it. Pick it up and start serving, start ministering, and watch what God can do in and through you. Allow the conviction of the Holy Spirit to spur you to say to the Lord, your gracious Savior, "Here am I. Send me!"