The Sound Of Heaven
By Kendra Osborn
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. Isaiah 6:1-4 (NIV)
It was three years ago this week that I had to walk through one of the darkest most painful times in my life. As I write this, today marks the three year anniversary of my husband’s death. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. I look at our youngest son and can’t help it, he looks just like him and acts just like him as well. But today was a day where my mind takes me back, back to the week prior to his death when we were on vacation and the week of his death. I think about what I was about to face, my husband‘s funeral.
I am reminded of our last beach vacation together and what a wonderful time we had. I’m also reminded of the song God had me sing the entire time we were at the beach. It was a song I had sung so often as part of the praise team at church but it had been a while since we had sung it. When it came to my mind at the beginning of our vacation, I was surprised and I even asked the Lord if I was supposed to teach it to my nieces during the week. The Lord never said I should do anything with the song but I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I just sang it. The words were,
“I see the Lord, seated on the throne, exalted and the train of His robe filled the temple with glory. And the whole earth is filled, and the whole earth is filled and the whole earth is filled with His glory. And I sing, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord.”
This song is right out of Isaiah 6 and it is absolutely beautiful. I sang that song everyday, all day, for an entire week. I’m so thankful I did because it became the very thing God used to speak to me the very next week.
I remember having my husband’s Bible with me while I was waiting, expecting that they would call and say he’s okay. When I received the call that they had found his body and the news started to set in that he was never coming home, I felt numb, like I was not really living in reality. All I could do was sit at my dining room table and open his Bible. I needed something; I needed comfort and the only source for me was God’s word and it felt good to read it from his Bible. I quickly forgot about the song God had given me to sing for one week straight and began the hardest journey I had ever set out on.
It was four days later and it was the day of the funeral. I had survived the week of being completely exhausted and mentally spent. But I wasn’t sure how I would survive that day. But God did an amazing thing that day and I want to share it with you.
He reminded me of this as I thought about my husband today and what I was facing three years ago. It was the morning of the funeral and I had a hard time getting myself to get out of bed and get ready. I had so many wonderful friends and family there to support me and I remember them coming to my room to encourage me to get in the shower. I remember standing there just letting the water run down my face and screaming and crying out to the Lord. I asked Him please let me know what he’s doing right now. Let me know what he’s doing. I don’t know how many times I asked this of the Lord but it felt like I was begging. I just remember the ache of wanting to know where he was and what he was doing.
I finally got through my shower and as I stepped out I bent over and turned on the radio. As I did there was a man speaking and the words that came through those speakers stopped me in my tracks. The voice said if you want to know what they’re doing in heaven right now, I’ll tell you. He then read Isaiah 6:1-4 and said this is what it sounds like in heaven right now. This is what they’re doing. They are worshiping the Lord shouting, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty.”
Sisters, I want to tell you God is a God of purpose not of chance. He doesn’t do anything by accident and I knew at that moment God was speaking to me through this guy on the radio. I wanted to shout! God held my heart, He felt the pain and He wept with me. He answered my cries immediately and He soothed my pain. He did this to give me strength, His strength, so I could face the day knowing He was right there walking it out with me and to remind me He didn’t forsake me.
Nothing we face is a surprise to God. No matter what the circumstances look like or where you are, God is always at work. He doesn’t waste a thing, big or small, and we can trust Him to never leave. He is in every situation and I pray we would be so sensitive to Him that when we feel Him move on us, we would embrace it even when it doesn’t make sense or it makes us wonder what’s going on.
I praise God He gave me that song to sing for a week straight. I’m so thankful I didn’t ignore it and push it out of my mind. I was aware it was something God had given me but I had no idea why. I know why now, He was preparing me for what was to come. I shutter to think if I had not taken the gift He had given me. What state would I have been in? Possibly not in a state to turn on the radio and hear Him speak to me or see His Hand at work the week leading up to that moment.
Pray with me: Father in heaven who sits on high, how we praise your Holy name. Our hearts are full of joy to know the sound of heaven is full of praise and singing and shouting out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.”
How we long for the day we will praise you for eternity, to bow before Your throne and to see your robe filling the temple. God, let our voices ring out here on earth and let us glorify Your name. We pray Lord our worship would be a sweet aroma rising up and it would be pleasing to your nose. Lord I pray we would seek You out and we would be sensitive to Your leading and follow with great joy.
Thank You Lord for preparing us for those time when life seems too hard to bear. Thank You Lord for holding us in the palm of Your hands and for giving us strength that passes all understanding in our darkest hour. How we love you Lord. We praise You and we glorify Your holy name. We bless Your name Lord God and cry out from the bottom of our hearts. May our praises here on earth rise up and penetrate the heavenlies and shake the doorposts of heaven. I pray for the shaking to fall down like rain and shake us here on earth.
O God we love you. May we never stop praising your name and may we never forget the sound of heaven!
In your precious and mighty name, by the blood of Jesus I pray, Yeshua. Amen!