Day 1: Revealed in Creation
WEEK 1
Isaiah 6:3
The words penetrated my heart. Piercing. Uncomfortable. “We have to be careful we don’t worship the creation more than the Creator.” Beauty is all around us. From the orange-red sunrises to the breaking of ground as the bush bean seed emerges; from the quiet, focused deer that peer through the trees to the intricate blossom of the Christmas cactus plant. What beauty do you see in creation? Creation declares the glory of God, but our verse today lifts up the Creator Himself, the Lord of Hosts. While the heavens declare His glory (Ps. 19:1), creation is not what is to be glorified and praised.
The seraphim are calling out, proclaiming, broadcasting, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord” (Isa. 6:3). He is set apart. The whole earth with its grandeur, beauty, intricacy, and life points us toward the holy, pure, set-apart God of all creation. It can be easy to get the cart before the horse, the creation before the Creator. Like me, our intent might be to acknowledge the God behind it all, but sadly our hearts and minds are focused more on the beauty we see before us. What God has created must draw us to Him. Admire the beauty of creation, yes! Stand in awe of what our holy God has “masterpieced.” But let us not fix our eyes and thoughts on the creation only. Let us be sure to move past the physically seen to the One who called it all into being—and it was good.
Reflection Prayer
Lord, I thank You and praise You for all that You have created—from the beauty of the sunset to the majestic mountains. Your glory fills the earth and spreads across the galaxies. We confess that we cannot comprehend Your holiness, but we taste and sense a portion through what You have revealed in creation. Lord of Hosts, forgive us for times of worshiping Your creation before You. We ask that, when our eyes behold the wonders in creation, our hearts and minds will be drawn by Your Spirit to worship You, the holy Lord of Hosts. Amen.
Week 1: The Holiness of God
A. W. Tozer writes in his book The Knowledge of the Holy, “We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine. Only the Spirit of the Holy One can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the holy.”
God is holy. Pastor Chip Ingram says, “He isn’t six or ten or one hundred times more holy than the best person you know. God Himself is an entirely different category in which He is the only member.”
God reveals His holiness to us in many ways, as we will see in the Scriptures this week. As we reflect on God’s holiness, how do we respond? Will we take off our shoes? Will we get on our face? Will we make every effort to keep peace? Will we confess or praise? Will we be God’s holy Church?
— Amy Roedding