I sat on my deck with my Bible open in my hands and read the words of the awestruck prophet: 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. (Isaiah 6:1, NKJV) As I lifted my own eyes, I heard the still small whisper of the Lord stirring in my spirit, “What do you know about My throne?”
I had a few quick responses that I fired off: Your throne is a throne of grace. It is established in the heavens. Your throne has its foundations in Your character of righteousness and justice.
I wasn’t wrong, but I have learned over years of prayer and time in His word that the Lord seldom asks a question to which I really know the answer. Usually He is trying to stir me to seek Him out, to delve into the Scriptures until I can see Him looking at me through the pages. I pulled up a concordance, a dictionary, and a pad of paper and began digging. Can I share some of that with you?
In long ago times, when a king had successfully invaded and conquered an important city or nation, he would come and sit on a throne in that place. The fact that he could put his throne in that city meant he had authority over it. Though he could sit on that seat, everyone else was left standing. This indicated his superior position in regards to those who had opposed him. It left no doubt who was in charge.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, it was during a time of political turmoil. Uzziah’s reign had been a time of peace and prosperity, but he was lying cold and still in his tomb. A new monarch sat on the throne now. The prophet must have wondered what would happen to the nation. He must have wondered what he himself would face. Would the new king listen to his prophetic warnings as Uzziah had?
In that personal whirlpool of doubt and fear, Isaiah saw the Lord and He was not pacing back and forth, wringing His hands. He was sitting on His throne as King. He had chosen to set His throne in the heart of Jerusalem where the prophet would understood He was in control.
Isaiah saw God sitting on His throne–in a position of rest in the place of authority. Not only that, He was far too big to fit inside the temple where the people went to worship Him. When he understood this, the prophet was freed from worry and intimidation. If he had nothing to fear from God, Isaiah need not fear any man sitting in any type of authority.
The Lord hasn’t changed. He sets His throne on every difficult place in my life. Whether I am facing financial concerns, dysfunction in relationships, heartache or confusion, that is just where He will set His throne and reveal Himself as the One in control.
I begin to pray, telling the Lord just how overwhelmed I am feeling and how unfair the situation, and He will let me continue until I am ready to look up. As I lift my eyes above my problems and focus on Him, I see Him, not worried, not pacing. He is King, sitting on His throne–in a position of rest in the place of authority in my life. If I fear Him with reverence and awe, I need not fear anything (or anyone) else.
God will not fit into my religious expectations and He won’t stay shut up in the church building. He is God and He doesn’t fit inside the boxes we offer Him. He sets His throne up in my life wherever He wants, and I am so grateful for that.
Pray with me? Lord, I invite You to set Your throne up in my life. You are a great God and You can handle my problems. I look up now. I will not live in fear.
