“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8

 Holiness to the Lord

Cultivating Awe and Reverence for God, Day 22

Walk his Way revisited —First posted in January, 2017

The God we serve is awesome beyond our wildest, most farfetched imaginations. Our minds cannot possibly grasp all the ways He is so inherently different from ourselves. It seems simplistic to say that we cannot know what we cannot know. The holiness of the Great I AM is exactly like that. God’s holiness is outside our ability to comprehend.

The dictionary defines holiness as spiritually perfect or pure; untainted by evil or sin. Another take on holiness states that it is regarded with or deserving deep respect, awe, reverence or adoration.

A.W. Tozer tells us, “We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable.”

Moses met God in the midst of a burning bush and was told to take off his shoes, for he stood on holy ground. When he had later received the instructions for the tabernacle and its furnishings, he was told again and again these things were holy. Where God is, and even things on earth that are used in His service, are holy.

Contrasted with that fierce, burning holiness is our own depravity. The older I get the more aware I become of my own failures and weaknesses. Truly I am a sinner unworthy of the slightest glance from the Holy King. I am wholly dependent upon His grace.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet saw the Lord. He heard the voice of the seraphim proclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” In that overwhelming experience, Isaiah saw his own vileness before the perfect purity of a living God, and cried out, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” There are no words we can say, no argument we can offer, and no way to make right the pervasive and deadly sin that afflicts us. We are all undone.

Do not take for granted the holiness of God. He abhors sin and declares its final destruction. He will give no quarter—He is adamant, will not compromise, will never give or yield. He will show sin no clemency or mercy. The wonders of His grace to us, a sinful people, are beyond marvelous as He imparts by His Spirit the knowledge of His holiness. He offers us eternal consolation and calls us to be holy, for He is holy. Paul writes, “…Who will deliver me from this body of sin and death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

I am silenced before His holiness.

Father, You are worthy of profound worship. May You ever be glorified. May the cosmos sing of Your marvelous grace and kindness. Indeed, You alone are holy. Through Jesus our Lord and to the glory of Your great name, Amen.