The Holiness of God

"The holiness of God makes the angels cover their faces, and crumbles Christians, when they behold it, into dust and ashes."--John Bunyan

I found this quote on the Slice of Laodicea site. It reminds me of Isaiah 6:1-5
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to 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 were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: "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."

Have you ever been so overwhelmed with God's holiness that you just fell on your face? I have, but too rarely. Much too often I'm flippant with prayer and I forget just Who it is to whom I pray. And I become lazy in my praying. I'm finding that prayer and Bible reading are hard. It is hard to put aside the things I want to do and put aside empty busyness to focus on the important things. I pray for the perseverance to live holy and to learn what it is to live a life that glorifies God. I say these things after struggling tonight to read my Bible intelligently and to pray. Sometimes I feel that I'm just going through the motions, but I keep on because I know that my feelings are not the measure of my standing with God. Jesus' righteousness is the hope that anchors my soul. Praise God that my salvation is not dependent on my fickle feelings and emotions, but upon Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. I am a woman of unclean lips. Thank God for grace. I pray that God will lead me to live a life characterized by holiness and that I will learn to glorify Christ. I am also praying tonight for a friend who started her chemo treatments today and for her family as they walk this road with her.

Lord, once again I ask You to help me not to be a hypocrite. Help me to live what I know is true. Help me to be humble when I come before You, and not flippant and lazy. You are holy, and I want to live in a way that will honor You.