"And so it is with all our losses, with all our sorrows, with all our disappointments, with all our pains; they have a mission to reveal to us the throned God."
- both quotes are from Alexander MacLaren
Let me ask you - is your life right now typified by the "leaves dropping," "great tree fallen," "night falling," or "props struck away"?
Have you recently experienced "losses," "sorrows," "disappointments," or "pains" of some sort?
In this message, you will find that each of these "conditions" have a "mission" - that is, to reveal to you the "throned God."
Through your troubles, God wants you to see Him - like never before - as the ruling and reigning King over all!
Read what the Great Texts Of The Bible had to say on this matter -
"It is not in the seven fat years that we pray. It is in the seven years of famine, when the wheat is 'blasted with the east wind.' It is then that men see the Lord and pray."
"God never empties places in our homes and hearts, or in the nation or the Church, without being ready to fill them. He sometimes empties them that He may fill them. Sorrow and loss are meant to prepare us for the vision of God, and their effort should be to purge the inward eye, that it may see Him...Well for us if the passing of all that can pass drives us to Him Who cannot pass, if the unchanging God stands out more clear, more near, more dear, because of change."
Did you catch what was said here?
"Sorrow and loss are meant to prepare us for the vision of God, and their effort should be to purge the inward eye, that it may see Him..."
Alexander MacLaren had this to say - "The message to us of all these our pains and griefs is 'Come up hither.' In them all, our Father is saying to us, 'Seek ye My face.' "
Throughout the Bible, we find examples of prophets and men of God who - in their times of perplexity - were often sustained by a vision of the heavenly throne.
While in exile, when comforting the forlorn exiles, the Prophet Ezekiel saw the eternal throne - "And He said unto me, Son of man, the place of My throne, and the places of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and My holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places." (Ezekiel 43:7)
While experiencing the Babylonian captivity, and during the rule of Belshazzar - king of Babylon - the prophet Daniel saw the "Ancient of Days"
sitting on His throne - "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire." (Daniel 7:9)
While exiled on the isle of Patmos, John the Revelator had his great vision of the future which included seeing the Throne of God many times -
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
An out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, Which are the seven Spirits of God.
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind." (Revelation 4:2-6)
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them." (Revelation 20:11)
Lastly, at a time when all his hopes and expectations came crashing down, the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne - "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple." (Isaiah 6:1)
Let's stop for a minute and take a look at Isaiah's experience.
Something very tragic happened. "King Uzziah died." The commentators say that this could refer either to his literal death or civil death - when he ceased as a leper to exercise his functions as a king.
He was an admirable king, wise ruler, and a good man - who was not shaped by a lust of dominion but was more concerned about the welfare of the people. Of all the kings of Israel, none (except for David) had done so much for the nation as he did.
He came to the throne when he was sixteen (16) years old and he reigned wisely and well for more than fifty (50) years. He was a man of action and enterprise. He was a skilled organizer in home affairs and a subtle strategist in foreign affairs. However, he spent his energies not so much in foreign affairs but on wise domestic policies. He was also loved by all his people and feared by all his foes.
"In the year that king Uzziah died"
It was at this point in time when Isaiah's worst fears were abundantly realized. But it was also at this point in time when he got a real glimpse of God as King over all.
God was at work. He put out the "secondary lights" - so to speak - in order for Isaiah to see the "eternal Light." King Uzziah had to die in order for him to see that it is King Jesus Who lives.
"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up..."
The prophet Isaiah saw Jesus as Adonai. He caught a glimpse of Jesus as the Sovereign Lord - the Lord of all men, the angels in heaven, and the Church of God. He caught a glimpse of Him as One Who is very powerful to protect and defend and has all fullness for supply.
He saw Jesus "sitting upon a throne" as a King with supreme authority and ineffable majesty. He saw Him as the high and lofty One - "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" - ruling over all... being high and exalted above all creatures...and crowned with glory and honor. Being the Eternal Monarch, His throne is high above all competition and contradiction.
Just when all of his hopes and expectations came crashing down, Isaiah received this revelation of Jesus as King - "sitting upon a throne" - a "throne" of glory before which he must worship...a "throne" of government under which he must be subject... and a "throne" of grace to which he would come boldly. Consequently, this revelation gave him an enlarged conception of all things...a new center for his thoughts and life...and taught him where ultimate security lies - not in kings but God.
In this message, we see God's purpose in emptying hearts, chairs, and homes. He empties them that He can fill them with Himself.
Sorrows, pains, losses, and disappointments are preludes to a new vision of God. Their mission is to reveal to you the throned God.
Once again I ask you - is your life right now typified by the "leaves dropping," "great tree fallen," "night falling," or "props struck away"?
Have you recently experienced "losses," "sorrows," "disappointments," or "pains" of some sort?
God wants to make your testimony like that of Isaiah's so that you, too, can say - "In the year that all my hopes and expectations came crashing down, I saw the Lord!"
And just as He sustained the prophets and apostles in their times of perplexity by a vision of the heavenly throne, even so will He do the same for you!
May God Bless His Word,
Connie
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
© COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved