Living in His Presence

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs 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."
(Isaiah 6:1-7)

When Isaiah found himself in the presence of the Almighty, he become overwhelmingly aware of his unworthiness and inadequacy.

Should it not be the same with us?

If we claim to be living in His presence in worship each day, should we not also have a strong awareness of our own sin, weaknesses, and shortcomings? Not to the point that we are paralyzed by remorse, for we have had our sin and guilt taken away, not by a seraph and a piece of coal but by a Savior and a piece of wood. But shouldn't our unworthiness be in our minds to the point that we remain humble, contrite, and moldable?

If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand?
(Psalm 130:3)

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
(James 4:6)

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
(James 4:10)

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
(Proverbs 11:2)

I believe it is no coincidence that the most effective people I know in the kingdom are also the most humble.