Understanding Our Call in Light of God’s Glory (Part 1)
Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
If you’ve ever heard a missionary presentation, chances are that Isaiah 6:8 was mentioned. This verse has historically had a large connection to the mission field; Isaiah’s commissioning and his willingness to go where God would send him has inspired many people far before I laid eyes on it. But when I did start dwelling on this verse at the age of sixteen, Isaiah’s willingness to follow God is what opened my eyes to God’s own calling for me.
While this verse has been an immense motivation in my life, I hadn’t paid much attention to the immediate context. Sure, I knew the general narrative of Isaiah 6, but until recently, I only focused on verse 8. As I began to study the verses around it, I realized that the context gives so much more meaning and depth to the dialogue between Isaiah and the Lord (and it would be a good idea to read the whole chapter before continuing further!).
Isaiah 6 is a vision. Isaiah sees the Lord, on a throne, “lofty and exalted” (v. 1). We know from John 12:41 that he was seeing God the Son’s glory. The glory was so immense that Isaiah saw a robe filling the entire temple, showing God’s greatness and all-consuming nature. Verse 4 describes smoke and the temple shaking in God’s power. Seraphim are reverent and worshipping God (v. 2-3). Their worship song is simple, but powerful:
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3b)
Holy means to be set apart, but it is more than that. God’s holiness can have nothing to do with anything that is not deity. Here, the Lord’s holiness is emphasized three times by the worshippers. God’s holiness is so far removed from us—He’s in a completely different category—that it must be repeated three times. We see this threefold repetition again in Revelation 4:8.
This is the scene that Isaiah observes: God’s power, glory, and holiness. Isaiah’s response to God’s character is fascinating. He doesn’t assume or brag about his own position. Instead, he is completely humbled in the presence of God with an awareness of his own sin. Isaiah actually pronounces a woe, or a judgment, on himself in verse 5. He’s aware of his own uncleanliness, or his personal sin, as well as the collective uncleanliness and rebellion of his people—God’s people. Isaiah realizes that his sin has no place among God’s temple with God’s holiness.
God’s response to Isaiah is complete grace and mercy. A seraphim brings a burning coal and uses it to touch Isaiah’s mouth. The burning coal is connected to the idea of sacrifice. This burning coal “cleanses” Isaiah; the angel says, ”your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven” (Isaiah 6:7).
Thousands of years after Isaiah, Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Like Isaiah, our rightful posture before the Lord is as unclean, sinful beings deserving judgment. And just like Isaiah, we have been offered grace and mercy through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Like Isaiah, we have been offered grace and mercy through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
In verse 8, Isaiah hears God Himself speaking. God is asking for a volunteer to send. We see the beautiful tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility here. God is sovereign and ready to send someone, but that individual needed to be willing to go in response. Isaiah’s response is to be immediately willing to go: He responds to God, saying “Here I am, send me.” He is ready and available to serve God at that moment. His priority was being used by God.
This verse is what motivated me to pursue missions. Since I was 16, I’ve tried to learn from Isaiah and adapt the same willingness to go for God in many different situations. Can you relate? Not every Christian will be called to serve God in foreign missions, or even in full-time ministry. But God does call every believer to serve and follow Him! We simply cannot put serving God on the shelf, as a to-do on a checklist, or even on our own terms. Every believer must have the humble and willing posture before the Lord that Isaiah demonstrated.
Do you feel called to serve God? Maybe you’ve been a missionary or pastor and you’ve gotten discouraged or forgotten why you’re there. Or, perhaps you’ve been a comfortable Christian for a while and the thought of stepping out of your comfort zone makes you nervous—even if it’s just to serve within your local church.
Does God’s character leaves you humbled, repentant, and willing to serve Him? Will you lay your plans, will, and intentions with humility before the Lord and say “Here am I. Send Me!”?
What if my calling isn’t that glamorous—or worse, it’s depressing? Part two is coming soon!
The word adorn means “to enhance the appearance of, especially with beautiful objects.” Titus not only teaches that believers can adorn truth, it tells how! Fulfilling your purpose and mission, impacting the world with the gospel—that’s what this study of Titus will help you do.
