Looking Beyond Our Present Circumstances
Wade E Taylor

“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, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”  Isaiah 6:1-2 NKJV

Isaiah had become so dependent on the throne of Uzziah for comfort and support that he was unable to see the eternal, heavenly King, seated upon His Throne.  Only after Isaiah experienced the loss of this dependence could he look beyond the empty, earthly throne and relate to the occupied, heavenly Throne.  Now, he could clearly see the winged Seraphim who were waiting for orders to act in his behalf.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit (those who have come to an utter end of self), for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven .”  Matthew 5:3

Many of us feel a measure of insecurity concerning the future.  There is a valid cause for this, as from an earthly perspective it does not look good.  But, there is an answer, as this is the time for us to look up and view things from a heavenly perspective.

A verse in Isaiah sets forth a clear picture of the Lord’s intention for us at this present time.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness  shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”  Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV

The earthly Uzziah’s have failed to provide all that they promised, and many see only despair, as darkness is covering the earth as never before.  However, as Isaiah discovered, we must begin to look up.  When we seek the heavenly, we will find a word of hope through which it begins to get brighter.

At this present time, many are being spiritually stirred, and increasingly are feeling the manifested presence of the Lord.  This is an indication from the Lord that the time has come for the restoration of His Shekinah (glory).  Within each of us who is seeking to go further in our desire for an intimate relationship with Jesus, there is a present work of preparation taking place so His ascension glory can abide within us, and then be reflected through us - “His glory will be seen upon you.”

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed (spiritual maturity), that the shame of your nakedness (still a spiritual baby) may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”  Revelation 3:18 NKJV

As Isaiah saw the throne of God in action in his behalf, he saw the Seraphim waiting for a word.  “Seraphim” can be translated “burning ones.”  This speaks of the “glory” reaching down into our lives and lifting us up into a cooperative relationship with Jesus in His end-time purposes.

The six wings of the Seraphim (three sets of two wings each), expresses the Lord manifestly acting in our behalf - His burning presence (The Holy Spirit and Fire), accomplishing His purposes in our lives.

“With two he covered his face.”  No flesh can abide the intensity of His presence.  This represents our yielding to His headship.  Our mind is to be covered, that the “mind of Christ” might function through us.

“With two he covered his feet.”  This speaks of our submission to His rule in our lives.  We are to “walk in the Spirit,” setting aside our ways.

“And with two he did fly.”  This speaks of our coming up into the realm of the spirit – into a cooperative relationship with the functioning of His eternal Spirit and Kingdom.

Notice the wings in Isaiah 40:31.  These provide us with the ability to ascend into His presence.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

As we look away from earthly thrones and come up into a place of trust and communion with Him in His Throne, we will merge in with these “winged Seraphim” and together with them, worship the Lord.

“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 post of the door moved at the voice of him that cried.”  Isaiah 6:3-4a

As we worship the Lord, the door (portal) that leads into the heavenly will begin to open to us.  Then, we will be lifted up into His Throne to be seated together with Him.

“And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:6

One of the things that should really encourage us is when we see the Lord at work - not so much in the big things that sometimes happen, but in the little things of our every day life experience.  Now, His approbation (divine favor) is resting upon us.  Life seldom consists of many big things.  Rather, it is made up of ever so many small things.  Thus, it is easy for us to look for natural ways to accomplish all that needs to be done.  But, we are to look up to the Lord, even in small things.

Hattie Hammond once shared a dream.  She was escorted to a grand piano with thousands present, and a very complicated score of music was set before her.  She asked the Lord for His help and began to play.  The result was outstanding and she was asked to play again.  This time a very simple piece of music was placed before her and she said, “I know this” and began to play.  The discord was so bad it woke her up.  The Lord then said, “You seek Me for the difficult things, but you are to seek Me also for the easy things that you daily face.”

The Lord is seated in His Throne.  He is waiting for us to look away from our natural sources of help, and to look up to Him.  He is both a present and an available God.

How can we help but worship, love, and serve Him?