imminent danger

A couple of times in my life I've been in what the army calls "imminent danger." It's not a great feeling. Most of my life, though, has been safe, at least physically.

This isn't good, but I don't think I've ever felt the fight-or-flight, heart-pounding, adrenaline flood of fear when I think of my own sin. When I think of approaching God, I view Him as a kindly father. I don't, as Isaiah did, see him as a God of justice, a God who hates sin. Hates my sin.

Isaiah had a vision where he came face-to-face with God. This is how he tells it (Isa 6:5-7) "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Isaiah knew his own sin; he knew that in the presence of the God he had sinned against the only thing he should expect is to be struck dead. It's what sin deserves. But God, in his grace and mercy, cleansed Isaiah's unclean lips with a coal. Just as he cleanses my unclean life with Jesus' blood.

Before Christmas, all I can do is to cry out with Isaiah, "Woe to me! I am ruined by my own bad choices!" All I can do is look forward, as he did, to the redeeming work that will be (was) done for me.