[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-middle":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-middle-surround":89},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":72,"date":73,"description":16,"extension":74,"image":75,"meta":76,"minRead":77,"navigation":78,"path":79,"postType":80,"publication":81,"publicationUrl":75,"seo":82,"stem":83,"topics":84,"__hash__":88},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-middle.md","The Lord of the Middle",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Isaiah",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":68},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53,56,59,62,65],[14,15,16],"p",{},"A friend told me, “Since the Lord is the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End—I can trust him with everything in the middle.”",[14,18,19],{},"That’s where we struggle: in the middle. How can we live by faith when we’re in the middle of raising a family, building a career, or dealing with complicated problems? Yet, that’s exactly where we need God’s presence and power—in the middle of our ordinary circumstances. The opening verses of Isaiah chapter 6 suggest four prayers that can help.",[14,21,22],{},"“Lord, lift our eyes.”",[14,24,25],{},"“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord” (Isaiah 6:1). For us that would be",[14,27,28],{},"like saying “in the year President Kennedy was assassinated” or “when 9\u002F11 happened.” Uzziah became king when he was 16 years old, and he reigned for 52 years (2 Chronicles 26:3). It’s unnerving when a long-time leader dies. Isaiah could have focused on the disintegrating government and worried that his nation was falling apart, but instead he “saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne” (v. 1). The king died, but the throne was still occupied! The earthly King Uzziah died, but the heavenly King became more visible.",[14,30,31],{},"Even in times of confusion and chaos, God remains on his throne. In the middle of",[14,33,34],{},"our daily tasks, we need to remember: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:3).",[14,36,37],{},"“Lord, humble our hearts.”",[14,39,40],{},"Confronted with the glory of God, Isaiah exclaimed, “‘Woe is me! . . . I am ruined! For I",[14,42,43],{},"am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty’” (v. 5). Isaiah was one of the finest people alive at that time, but his righteousness was nothing compared to God’s.",[14,45,46],{},"When we see who God is, we see ourselves as we really are. Bright light exposes dirt. In the light of God’s holiness, our unholiness is exposed. This calls for deep humility. God will not despise a broken, contrite heart.",[14,48,49],{},"“Lord, forgive our sins.”",[14,51,52],{},"Anyone who has said regrettable words can relate to Isaiah’s confession, “I am a man of unclean lips.” Mercifully, God didn’t leave him in that condition. “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’” (vv. 6-7).",[14,54,55],{},"A burning coal pressed against the lips would really hurt, but the pain led to a good result. God graciously removed Isaiah’s guilt. The burning coal came from the altar where priests killed and burned animals as sacrifices for sin. The coal had been soaked in blood. It reminds us of the cross of Christ, soaked with the blood of God’s Son.",[14,57,58],{},"“Lord, send us to serve.”",[14,60,61],{},"“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (v. 8).",[14,63,64],{},"When the Lord called for volunteers, Isaiah raised his hand and stepped forward. He had been “a man of unclean lips,” but now by grace he was forgiven and qualified to serve God. What about us? God calls us to serve right in the middle of the mess we call life.",[14,66,67],{},"QUESTIONS:",{"title":69,"searchDepth":70,"depth":70,"links":71},"",2,[],"Revealed and Relevant","2015-09-06","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-middle","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-middle",[85,86,87],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","uvlzMy4NZe9prHpR-NKr0B8kpzIf8WTO3xfRIHN-rEk",[90,95],{"title":91,"path":92,"stem":93,"description":94,"children":-1},"‘The Lord Needs Them’","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-lord-needs-them","articles\u002Fthe-lord-needs-them","Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away’ (Matthew 21:1-3).",{"title":96,"path":97,"stem":98,"description":99,"children":-1},"The Lord’s Surprising Presence","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-lord-s-surprising-presence","articles\u002Fthe-lord-s-surprising-presence","Have you ever been the last to hear some big news? Maybe you took a vacation, and upon returning to work you learned that major changes had taken place while you were gone."]