And I said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts! Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.

Isaiah 6: 5-7

Yesterday I wrote about the adoration we should express to the God who is truly majestic – the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Now imagine yourself in the very presence of God. How do you respond?

Consider the reaction of Isaiah wrote in the sixth chapter of his book of prophecy in the passage above. Seeing God accurately and experiencing His Holiness naturally takes us to a state of repentance.

When John the Baptist began his ministry he preached a message of repentance (Matthew 3:2). Jesus’ ministry compelled those who heard his message to repent. (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15) Jesus followers required repentance before and after his resurrection. (Mark 6:12, Acts 2:38) And finally Paul defended his message to King Agrippa with his message of repentance in Acts 26:20.

Now back to Isaiah. I think you can see three steps in his repentance.

• Recognition: Seeing God’s glory, Isaiah recognizes his lost state.
• Repentance: Isaiah confesses his sin as a man with unclean lips.
• Reconciliation: God sends an angel so that his “guilt is taken away….”

Notice that God didn’t require anything more. Isaiah experienced the grace of God due to his simple repentance much like what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 7:10:

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Are you ready to respond like Isaiah? Give it some thought today.