True worship stirs emotions. A song may touch our heart, resulting in tears of joy. A prayer may bring forth praise and thanksgiving. A Bible reading or a sermon may yield sorrow over sin and a desire to be cleansed.
Isaiah demonstrated the power of his worship experience in feeling awe in the presence of God (Isaiah 6:1–4). Remember, “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV). One of Israel’s singers declared, “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” (Psalm 8:1).
Immediately after Isaiah saw the glory of God, he exclaimed, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because 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” (Isaiah 6:5). His sinfulness was magnified by God’s purity, to which he referred when he described the Almighty as “the Holy One of Israel” 29 times, as opposed to 6 times in the rest of the Bible. David’s response to his sin is expressed in Psalm 51:1–4.
Isaiah felt the release for forgiveness of his sins (Isaiah 6:6–7). The Ethiopian nobleman went on his way rejoicing after he found forgiveness in the waters of baptism (Acts 8:39). The Philippian jailor felt a similar joy after he and his household were baptized (Acts 16:33–34).
The culmination of Isaiah’s worship experience was a sense of determined commitment (Isaiah 6:8). David was encouraged by his release from sin (Psalm 51:12–14). Paul proclaimed, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). That feeling drove him to preach because of the debt he owed for his forgiveness (Romans 1:14–17).
May we all be moved to feel awe, shame and joy. May it result in our determined commitment to spread the good news.
