Devotion 1: The Beauty of God’s Holiness

Study: Beholding the Beauty of God

Key Scripture:
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim... And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'" (Isaiah 6:1-3, ESV)

An Invitation to Encounter Holiness

Have you ever felt the weight of longing for God? That deep thirst to truly see Him, to know His presence in a way that satisfies the ache in your soul? Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6 invites us to such an encounter—a moment of beholding the beauty of God’s holiness that transforms everything.

Take a moment to pause. Imagine yourself stepping into the throne room of heaven. The air is thick with awe. You lift your eyes and see Him—the Lord, high and lifted up, seated on His throne. His presence radiates holiness. His majesty fills the space. Seraphim, angelic beings beyond your comprehension, cry out in unison, “Holy, holy, holy!”

Their voices shake the foundations. Their song is not just a declaration—it’s an experience. Holiness is overwhelming, pure, and alive. And yet, instead of running from it, your heart whispers, “This is what I’ve been longing for.”

The Beauty of His Holiness

God’s holiness is not something we can fully define—it’s something we encounter. It’s His purity, His majesty, His complete otherness. His holiness sets Him apart, and yet it draws us in. It’s both terrifying and captivating.

In Isaiah’s vision, the sheer beauty of God’s holiness fills the temple. Isaiah’s eyes are opened to the reality that the whole earth is saturated with His glory. This is not a small, contained holiness. It’s expansive, pouring out into every corner of creation.

But here’s the thing: holiness isn’t just about God being “better” or “purer” than us. It’s about His infinite beauty—the kind that stops you in your tracks, takes your breath away, and leaves you speechless. When we begin to grasp His holiness, it changes everything. It transforms the way we see God, ourselves, and the world around us.

The Crushing Conviction

Isaiah’s immediate reaction to this vision is gut-wrenching: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Standing before God’s holiness, Isaiah is undone. He sees his own sin, not in a vague or abstract way, but as a painful, undeniable reality.

Have you ever felt that? The moment when you see yourself in light of who God truly is—not to shame you, but to wake you up to your need for Him? Holiness exposes us, and it’s uncomfortable. But it’s also freeing. Because in that moment, when Isaiah feels the weight of his sin, God doesn’t condemn him. Instead, He moves toward him with grace.

A seraphim flies to Isaiah, carrying a burning coal from the altar. With it, he touches Isaiah’s lips and says, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7). Holiness doesn’t leave us in despair—it purifies us. It cleanses us so we can stand in God’s presence, not as condemned sinners, but as beloved children.

This is the beauty of God’s holiness: it confronts us and cleanses us. It calls us to lay down our sin and be transformed by His grace. It’s not just about seeing who God is; it’s about becoming who He created us to be.

An Invitation to Draw Near

Holiness can feel intimidating, but it’s also an invitation. God doesn’t reveal His holiness to keep us at a distance; He reveals it so we can come close. The seraphim’s cry, “Holy, holy, holy,” is not just a proclamation; it’s a call to worship. It’s an invitation to lay down your fears, your sin, your striving—and to simply behold Him.

So what does it mean to respond to this invitation? It means surrendering. It means allowing the beauty of God’s holiness to do its work in you. It means saying, “Lord, I don’t just want to know about You—I want to know You. I want to see You, to experience You, to be transformed by You.”

When you respond to God’s holiness, you begin to see the world differently. You see His glory in creation, His hand in your circumstances, His beauty in the mundane. Worship becomes your natural response. You stop striving to “earn” His presence and start resting in it.

Jesus: The Holiness of God Made Known

Isaiah’s vision points us to Jesus. He is the ultimate revelation of God’s holiness. He is the perfect, spotless Lamb who took on our sin so we could stand in the presence of a holy God. On the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of God’s holiness and justice, so we could receive His mercy and grace.

Through Jesus, the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity is bridged. The veil that once separated us from God’s presence is torn. Now, we are invited to come boldly before His throne, not because of anything we’ve done, but because of who He is.

As you behold the beauty of God’s holiness, fix your eyes on Jesus. He is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of His being (Hebrews 1:3). When you see Him, you see the holiness of God in action—majestic, compassionate, and redeeming.

Experiencing His Presence

If you’re thirsty for God, the answer isn’t in striving—it’s in beholding. It’s in quieting your heart, lifting your eyes, and letting Him reveal Himself to you. Holiness is not something you can manufacture; it’s something you experience when you draw near to Him.

Take a moment right now. Put on the worship song “Worthy of It All” by UPPERROOM. Let the lyrics become your prayer: “You are worthy of it all, for from You are all things, and to You are all things. You deserve the glory.” As you sing, imagine yourself in Isaiah’s place, standing before the throne. Feel the weight of His holiness and the beauty of His grace.

Prayer

“I join with the angels and say ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord, You alone are high and lifted up, and Your glory fills the earth.’ I confess that I am unclean and unworthy apart from Your grace. Thank You for the cleansing power of Jesus’s blood, that makes me clean and allows me to draw near to Your presence. Lord, I don’t just want to know about You—I want to know You. I want to see You.  I want to experience You and be transformed by You. Bring me into your presence, even now, and show me something new about You.”

Sit quietly in His presence and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you.  What does he want to say to you today? Feel free to record your thoughts and impressions.