Winter 2002
Looking Beyond Our Present Circumstances
Wade E Taylor

“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. Above it stood the Seraphim: each
one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and
with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.”

“And one cried unto another and said: "Holy, Holy, Holy
is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of His glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that
cried, and the house was filled with smoke.” Isaiah 6:1-4.

There was a specific time and setting in which these events took place in the life of Isaiah. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord.”

Isaiah could have said this in another way: “When all of my dreams and ambitions failed, I realized that I could not, of my own ability, attain to that for which the Lord called me. Then, I looked up to the Lord.” Or; “When I came to the end of my own ways and placed my problems in His hands, the Lord showed me His power and ability to meet my need.”

Before the time of this vision, Isaiah had been taken up with the throne of Uzziah as his means of comfort and support. He had to experience a “death” to his dependence on an earthly King, before he could see the eternal, heavenly King, who was waiting to help him.

“I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” Now, Isaiah could look beyond the vacant earthly throne and see the occupied heavenly throne, with the winged Seraphim standing over it, waiting to act in his behalf. The Lord had been there all along, waiting for Isaiah to look to Him for help, rather than to King Uzziah.

“And His train filled the Temple.” This “train” (the attendant Glory) which Isaiah saw, trailed out from the garment of the Lord, who was seated in His throne, and it filled the temple. A verse in the New Testament gives us a further understanding about this “temple.” “Do you not know that you are the temple of God?” I Cor 3:16.

This shows us that His “presence and power” reaches out from the throne, down into our very being. Therefore, the Lord is not very far from us, as Heaven is a dimension, not a distance.

The world has a way of talking about God. They say, “He is up there, some place - far away.” Although His throne is eternal, powerful, and transcends all, the Lord is a very present and available God. We have personal access to our Lord, and He is ever waiting for us to approach Him.

As we look away from our ability, and the natural things that we tend to trust in, we will be able to look up to the Lord - in His throne, and begin to experience the fact that, “We are His temple, and His “train” (His personal love and concern for us) reaches down into our very lives.” As a result, a beautiful communion and trust between us and our Lord will begin to develop.

Then, we will be brought up into a prepared place of function and purpose with Him, in His throne.

“To he who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My
throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with My
Father in His throne.” Rev 3:21.

“Above it stood the Seraphim.” Not in an earth orientation (King Uzziah), but above (King Jesus).

“Each had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.” These wings represent a capacity for movement, for power, and for fulfillment. Now, Isaiah was in a different realm, and He saw the throne of God in action in His behalf.

“Seraphim” can be translated, “burning ones.” This speaks of the “manifest presence and glory” of the Lord, reaching down into our lives in intervention. The six wings of the Seraphim, (three sets of two wings each), express God manifestly acting in our behalf - His burning presence (The Holy Spirit and Fire), accomplishing His purposes in our lives.

“With twain he covered his face.” No flesh can abide in His presence, our face must be covered. This represents our acknowledging His headship. Our mind is to be covered, that “the mind of Christ” might be enabled to function through us.

“With twain he covered his feet.” This speaks of our submission to His government, or rule in our lives. We are to “walk in the Spirit,” setting aside our own ways, and look to Him for direction and purpose in our lives.

“And with twain he did fly.” This speaks of our coming up into “the life and function” of His eternal Spirit and Kingdom. Note Isaiah 40:31: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

As we look away from all earthly thrones, and come up into a place of trust and communion with our Lord in His throne, we will merge with these “winged Seraphim” in their function and worship of the Lord.

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried.”

As we worship the Lord, the door of heaven will begin to open to us. Then, we will be lifted up into His throne, to be seated together with Him.

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Eph 2:6.

“And the house was filled with smoke.” This “house” speaks of our environment, the places where we live, worship, and work. The “smoke” speaks of his manifest glory (His train filling the temple), working in our behalf. He is truly a “present God,” at work both in us, and in all of our circumstances.

One of the things that really strengthens and encourages me is when I see the Lord at work, not so much in the big things which sometimes happen, but in the little things of my every day life. Our lives seldom consist of many big things. Rather, it is made up of many small things. It is easy for us to look to natural ways of meeting these. But, we are to look up to the Lord on His throne, even in small things.

He is seated in His throne, waiting for us to look away from our natural sources of help, and look up to Him. He is both a present and an available God.

How can we but help to worship, love and serve Him?