Unpacking Isaiah 6

For the past month I have been "unpacking" the book of Isaiah, so to speak. Taking out every single word, spinning thoughts, and trying to turn truth from one of the most challenging books in the Bible.

But right now, I'm just stuck.

I can't break away from Isaiah 6, when the Lord appears to Isaiah, and he is cleansed and called to serve.Each reading brings a new depth of understanding, yet stirs up questions that leave me wondering more about this prophet's faith.

Mostly, I wonder how in the world Isaiah did it. How did he so quickly, eagerly, and faithfully say, "Here I am! Send me."?

My response may have gone a little something like this.

"But God, what if I get hurt."

"But God, what about my family."

"But God, what about my job, and my house, and...

Here, you give it a try and ask yourself what you would have said...

Isaiah's Commission from the Lord

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, Here I am! Send me." And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

Whhhhewwww.
How do you dull a heart and make ears heavy, and blind eyes?

I would have argued back. And the truth is I argue back every.single.day.

I profess faith and say things like, "God is in control." and "God's got a plan for my life."  I profess those things and minutes later, I profess fear. I ask "what if?" questions all the time. I wonder if I'm really supposed to be a writer? I wonder, and question, and I just don't know how to say "yes," and mean it, and live it.

Isaiah was commissioned and he said "yes." He responded with a holy, ambitious, "yes" to the call.
His one and only question for God was, "How long?"

The only bit of information he needed before he left was how long this call would last.
That's faith.

God calls us every single day. We may not have an Isaiah account in which God appears to us and we see the Lord sitting on a throne, with angels singing, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts.

But we do have alarm clocks that call us out of bed and into the world.
What if we woke up every day, and instead of hitting snooze, we said, 'Here I am, Send me!"?

I wonder how many calls I've missed because I'm too tired, to scared, too wrapped up in myself to even hear.

This week, may you see, hear, and understand God's will for your life, my friends.
May your morning call come, and your response ring truth.

He needs us out there in this dying world.
His kingdom will come. His will, will be done!

Amen.