Lonely. Worship. Repentance. Mission.
God… now he commands all people everywhere to repent. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!”” (Acts 17:31, Isaiah 6:8)
Lonely. It seems we need some loneliness to be able to see further than our usual extents. Yes, it takes a retreat by yourself to access some insights that you just cannot catch in the noise of your comfort. The date of Isaiah’s vision in the sixth Chapter is not simply when King Uzziah died, but more so when there was the loneliness of losing a great king in Israel. The people and things in which you take confidence or rest are not permanent. When your comfort zones are shaken and you feel lonely or unstable, even there you can seek and meet the Lord.
Worship. Many have ‘seen the Lord’, but they report different things just like the blind people that went to see an elephant… some see a big hand, others a big eye, others a big ear, and so on… But Isaiah saw a glorious sight and could not help but realize such captivating worship of the only one worthy of glory, praise and honour. This is the ultimate of ‘seeing the Lord’. Don’t wait for the congregational time; take moments to read psalms aloud, sing hymns and spiritual songs; describe in your words the glory and goodness of the Lord and join the heavenly beings in worship. It is a great thing to minister to the Lord in this way.
Repentance. For anyone thinking about mission, the example of Isaiah in looking to himself and realizing the need for personal cleansing before launching out into the mission field is important. Who ignores their unworthiness when the glory of the Lord is shining all around? No excuse remains for those who have heard the call to repentance – as Paul instructed the Athenians. This is a great opportunity for each one of us to slow down and turn to God for forgiveness and re-direction. The tools God uses to do this may be uncomfortable – hot coals taken with tongs! But the end is freedom – ‘your guilt is taken away’. This is now a state ready for service.
Mission. There will soon be great need. Then you can respond to the good question, ‘Whom shall I send?’ Elijah was worried he was the only one left; Jesus exclaimed the labourers were few; now the voice is announcing to a world of people the need for a messenger, one that will go and proclaim the Word to a people so hungry and needy. As we pray to the Father to send more labourers, consider your own response. In that year, only one answer was recorded – and that was from Isaiah. To respond like Isaiah did, you ought to walk the path he walked and go through the stages without despising or dodging any: Lonely. Worship. Repentance. Mission.
God bless you all