OF EAGLES AND KINGS
It was one of those "ah" moments. A moment when time stands still and your eyes open to new vistas. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I was walking back to my office. I was throughly enjoying myself in the bright sunshine as I watched the stunning blue waters of the Bay of Fundy shimmering like diamonds dancing in the gentle breeze. Lost in thought, and praising God for such a beautiful creation, my world was abruptly jarred into full-throttle-open- eyes-mode.
A shadow which seemed as large as a 747 passed over my head accompanied by the sound of power in motion. I looked up and saw a bald eagle no more than 25 feet above me. A second later, he dropped the carcass of a squirrel on my neighbors' driveway. Not to be too graphic, but even the thud of Mr. Eagles' supper hitting terra firma was awesome. The entire moment was just like the last second before impact in a car accident. Everything was in slow motion, every sense was heightened, every detail noticed. I heard every sound, saw every color, absorbed my environment and stepped outside myself. Hey, I'm starting to sound mystical here, but mystical fits how I felt.
Now I've seen eagles before. We are blessed to have lots of bald eagles in our area, and I never tire of watching them circle and soar. But up until this moment, they had always been way up there- -removed, outside of my immediate world, too far away to really appreciate their size or power. But this time, Mr. Eagle thrust his way into my world and I immediately realized that there's a lot going on in my world that doesn't have anything to do with me. Right before my eyes, I saw the life and death drama, and I felt very insignificant. The presence of this awesome bird was overpowering. I was humbled.
Have you ever had an experience like that? Have you ever had your world penetrated--shaken, but not stirred? Have you ever understood that you aren't as powerful, as central to the big picture as you usually think? Have you ever been humbled by the awesome presence of another?
One of my favorite passages of Scripture comes from Isaiah, chapter six. In this chapter we read the account of Isaiah's vision of the LORD. Verses 1-5 read:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, 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."
Why is a passage about Isaiah being scared out of his sandals (they didn't have socks then) one of my favorite passages? Because it shows us the absolute holiness of God. When Isaiah, a well-to-do respected friend of kings, came into the presence of God, the Most High, he melted. He fell apart. He was undone. In other words, everything he knew about himself, his respectability, his righteousness, his accomplishments, his power, his authority is flushed down the porcelain byways and he's left stripped, naked. Immediately, he realizes that he is an imperfect, utterly unholy creation in the presence of his utterly holy Creator. This is Isaiah's, uh, moment when he was overpowered by the awesome holiness and glory of the LORD. He was humbled.
Notice what happened after his "ah" moment. As soon as Isaiah was humbled, as soon as Isaiah saw God, he was cleansed and willingly became a servant. This is the account of Isaiah's call to be a prophet. I think there's a connection here. When we truly see God for who He really is, and us for who we truly are, then comes the "ah" moment before God, and we can be cleansed and readied for service.
Want to know something even more amazing? John, in his gospel, lets us in on a little secret. You know that vision we just read? The one where the Temple was filled with the glory of God? You know that amazing picture of holiness and awesome power? The vision of the LORD, the I AM, Yahweh was a vision of none other than Jesus (John 12:41). Kind of changes your perspective doesn't it? That was the glory Jesus left behind to humble himself in the likeness of man, and even death on the cross (Phil 2:6ff).
I hope you've experienced the humbling moment of coming into the presence of the Almighty Lord, your God. I hope that you've come undone, because if you have, that also means you've been made clean and ready for service. Praise God that his Holiness is equaled by His compassion and grace. Otherwise, none of us would be worthy to stand in His presence.
Prayer
Almighty God, You are perfect in Your Holiness and we have no right, no authority to stand before you in our sinful weakness. Thank you for giving us that right, that authority, that privilege through Christ. Thank You for giving us entrance into Your presence through Jesus, our righteousness. Thank you for your grace that has fitted us for an eternal residence in Your holy presence. Thank you that once we became undone, you picked up the pieces and recreated us! Amen!
