“…and they rest not day and night, saying, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'” Revelation 4:8
In the vision that God gave to Isaiah, he saw “…the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” (Is. 6:1) In the cry of the seraphims, their cry contained the following: “…Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts.” (v.3) What does this vision of God do for Isaiah, and why was it given? The first thing we discover is that Isaiah, though a great man intellectually, with many wonderful gifts and capacities, was guilty of sin before God. It was the ascendant vision of God upon His throne, His holiness, and His power and authority, which brought Isaiah to the point of declaring: “…Woe is me! for I am undone.” (v.5) One of the attributes of God which overpowers Isaiah is the fact of Him sitting upon His throne, ruling in His righteousness, power, and authority. He is sovereign with no one or thing of His creation over Him. He is declared to be the Lord of hosts, in absolute control of the legions, the inhabitants of heaven. He thus maintains the existance of those in heaven, and also, those on earth, who will trust and obey Him.
Later in the book of Isaiah, we come across this phrase, referring to the Son of God: “…and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince Of Peace.” (11:6) Again, we see the matter of Christ being the “Mighty God.” Why? It is for the sake of faith. If faith would be strengthened at every juncture of life, there must be the vision of God being All Mighty, All Powerful, and possessing All Authority to do, or accomplish, all His will, even if that will is rejected by men. The revelation of God in this manner elevated Jeremiah in his faith to declare: “Ah Lord God, behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee.” (Jer. 32:17) The opposite is true in the experience of the believer who does not see God as Almighty and powerful. Such was the case of the disciples in the storm at sea with Jesus in the boat. Believing themselves lost, and on the verge of perishing, Jesus asks them: “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’ (Matt. 8:26) It was not that the disciples did not have true faith, but their faith was small in the face of the storm. This is because their vision of God, and especially of Jesus in the boat, was so small. The magnitude of faith is dependent upon the greatness of the vision of God. The Lord Jesus brought Peter face to face with this reality at another time at sea. Again, they were in a storm, but Jesus came walking on the water. Peter, desiring to also walk on the water, and exert his faith, asked Jesus to command him to come on the water. Jesus did so, but Peter, as he walked on the water, began to sink because faith was replaced by fear and doubt. Peter’s vision of the waves became greater than that of the Lord Jesus.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came and appeared unto him, telling him that he was to have a son the next year. Scripture tells us that when the Lord addressed Abram, He said: “I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” (Gen. 17:1) Again, why did God give to Abram the vision of Himself, specifically that of Him being Almighty? It is so that faith will lay hold of Him when from a human standpoint, it is not possible. The call of God is first and foremost to a true, renewed, and elevated vision of God. If the believer today would be an overcomer in the face of unbelief, he must see God for who He is, the Almighty.
Dear Father, Open our eyes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.