When The Throne Looks Empty

Have you ever noticed how losing something or someone you leaned on makes you see life differently?

Maybe a leader you trusted fell. Maybe a job you depended on disappeared. Maybe a loved one passed away. Or maybe you’ve watched a tragedy unfold, like the young girl stabbed while bystanders stood frozen and did nothing.

Loss and evil have a way of shaking us to the core.

That’s exactly the setting of Isaiah 6:1. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a very high throne. His long robe filled the Temple” (Isaiah 6:1 NCV). How many times have you read that scripture?

Isn’t it interesting that the Bible doesn’t just say Isaiah saw the Lord? It begins with the words, “In the year King Uzziah died.” The Bible is never random. It always has a purpose.

King Uzziah had been on the throne for over fifty years. He brought stability, prosperity, and strength to Judah. People probably assumed he would always be there. But then he died. The earthly throne was empty. Yet in that moment, Isaiah’s eyes were opened to see that the heavenly throne was still occupied.

How have your eyes been opened?

That’s the lesson for me: human security doesn’t last. Leaders die. Health fades. Money comes and goes. Loved ones pass. But God’s reign is permanent.

“The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will be driven out of his land” (Psalm 10:16 NCV). When Isaiah saw the Lord “high and lifted up,” it was a reminder that no matter what changes on earth, heaven never shakes.

Today I need that reminder. It’s hard to believe people stood by and did nothing while that girl bled out. Evil is real. Bad things happen. But we cannot freeze in fear.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by doing good” (Romans 12:21 NCV).

See God. See Jesus reigning in heaven. See the Holy Spirit inside you. See the need and respond. Move. Act. Speak. Try. And when we do, we will see God move too. But we have to move in faith - not knowing the outcome.

It’s often in times of loss or transition that God reveals Himself most clearly. When the “kings” in our life are gone, whether people, jobs, money, or security, that’s when we finally look up.

And when we do, we see the real King, the One who has never left His throne. God is really up there. So is Jesus. And the Holy Spirit is really inside your body if you are a Jesus lover. Just believe it - and act on it.

So what’s the big deal about mentioning the king dying?

It’s everything. It’s the contrast: the temporary vs the eternal, the fragile vs the unshakable, the human vs the divine.

“The Lord rules as king forever; the Lord will be King forever and ever” (Psalm 29:10 NCV).

God used a moment of national crisis to call Isaiah into his greatest purpose. And He can use those moments in your life too. Wait - He is using them. The question is, are we paying attention and like Isaiah “Do we see the Lord high and lifted up?”

When the things you trust in are stripped away, will you panic, or will you look up and see the Lord? Will you act? Will you speak up? Will you step forward in faith, trusting that God will lead, help, and save you?

LORD, help me (and others reading this) to see you as the true King. No matter what changes around me. When I lose people, positions, or security, remind me that your throne is never empty. Teach me to trust you above all else and to find my calling, even in times of uncertainty. Holy Spirit - please always help me where I am weak. IJNIP amen ♥️