I SAW THE LORD 

by Rev. James Snyder

Isaiah 6: 1-4

Our society today is perplexed and confused. On every hand, there is chaos. Just when things begin to settle down a little, something else erupts. In the midst of such a perplexing society, there is a need for a fresh vision of God.

We're not the first people to go through tough times. There have been others before us. A man of God experienced something like this many centuries ago. His name was Isaiah.

Isaiah 6:1 - 4 (KJV) 1In 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. 2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isaiah was very much involved in the political activities of his day. Obviously, he was close to King Uzziah, maybe a personal friend.

The phrase, "In the year that king Uzziah died," suggests to us the grief Isaiah went through at that time. It affected him greatly. In his grief, it seems as though Isaiah went into his "prayer-closet" to pray and seek the Lord. This was perhaps the “lowest point" that Isaiah ever dropped to. It was when he was so low and so discouraged that Isaiah got a glimpse of the Lord. "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."

There are many times that you and I have the tendency to get discouraged. In Isaiah's day, he had some good reasons to be discouraged.

I. WE HAVE GOOD REASONS TO BE DISCOURAGED.

You do not have to go very far to discover some good sound reasons why we should be discouraged. Now this may shock some of you hearing this coming from a preacher. We are supposed to tell everyone to cheer up and not be discouraged.

However, honesty compels me to say that the ingredients of discouragement, especially for the Christian, are all around. Let me quickly name for you five good strong reasons why you, as a Christian, should be discouraged.

1. POLITICALLY – Every four years our nation goes to the polls to elect a new president. Just thinking about the options is enough to discourage any thinking person. Never have we had so much wrong in our political machinery. It’s not only here in our country it’s around the world. We are literally seeing nation rising up against nation. There are wars and rumors of wars everywhere. I have news for you. It is not going to get any better; in fact, the Bible tells us that it will get worse. The worst is yet to come.

2. SOCIALLY - Our social system is systematically being destroyed. I am referring mainly to the family. Never in the history of the world has there been so much against the family as a unit. The father goes one way, the mother another way, and the children still another.

When you disrupt the family unit, you throw the whole social system out of balance. Most, if not all of our social problems can be traced back to the rupture of the family. Many movements on foot today are undermining the family and few people seem to realize the significance.

3. ECONOMICALLY - Price increases have touched the lives of most Americans, especially at the gas pump. Not only there, the food prices are going out of sight. The more we make the more it costs to live and the cycle goes on and on with no end in sight.

4. CRIME AND VIOLENCE - There is more crime and violence in America today than in the days of Al Capone and the gangs of his day. Violence has even penetrated rural America. There are more murderers loose today than in the days of the Old West. I read one magazine that said that one out of five American families have been victims of a violent crime.

5. WORLDLINESS IN THE CHURCH - Mainstream Christianity is promoting today what it once denounced in no uncertain terms. The lifestyle that our grandparents preached against is the lifestyle we are promoting with millions of dollars. The average Christian fifty years ago knew their Bible and Christian doctrine. The average Christian today in America is grossly biblically challenged in many regards. The Church in America is on such a downward plunge that it will take a tremendous jolt to reverse the trend. Nothing short of an old-fashioned revival will do.

I suppose the list could go on and on. But I feel that these are legitimate reasons for being discouraged today. However, I would not be a faithful preacher of the Gospel if I left it there. There is nothing happening today, but what has been prophesized in the Scriptures. There's no reason for panic.

Isaiah had every reason under the sun to be discouraged, but he also had some good reasons for being encouraged.

II. WE HAVE GOOD REASONS TO BE ENCOURAGED.

It was while Isaiah was discouraged that he discovered the real reasons for encouragement. His encouragement did not come from his surroundings or circumstances. The Bible records for us that when Isaiah was at his lowest point he saw the Lord. "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."

Times could be better, and they could be a lot worst. No one can blame the "times" for the low-ebb of spirituality. Only the person who has seen the Lord "high and lifted up" has any reason to be encouraged in these dark days.

The problem lies in the fact that we have taken our eyes off the Lord. Hence, we are in a vulnerable situation. What has taken our eyes off the Lord?

DISTRACTIONS: Something has been allowed to distract us. A beautiful illustration of this is found in Matthew 14:25-31. The moment Peter's eyes were off the Lord he began to sink. The moment we take our eyes off the Lord, we too begin to sink. There are many distractions around us. Anything that clouds our vision of Christ is a distraction and will be the cause of our sinking.

PRE-OCCUPATION: This is something that unjustly takes up our time. People are pre-occupied today with their personal plans and objectives. Everyone seems to be engrossed in only those things that may benefit them. The rule of the game today is "Look out for Number One.”

In addition, many are pre-occupied with ease and comfort at home, in church, at work, in everything. Our whole society is geared to personal comfort and ease. Gadgets are being invented all the time with no other purpose than to add to our comfort. The world is pre-occupied with the gratification of many fleshly desires.