God’s Calling You. Will You Answer?
I remember growing up when telephones that had no caller id. You had to actually answer the phone call in order to know who was calling. Parents would sometimes send their children to answer the phone, screen the call and tell unwanted callers that they weren’t there. In Isaiah 6:1–8; 38:1–5, Isaiah hears God’s call and answers it. And he remains faithful to God for the rest of his life…. even when God sends him to deliver bad news to His people. Yet, among the bad news and hard truths, God also gives Isaiah messages of hope for His people who turn to Him. Just like He did when He added years to Hezekiah’s life. I pray that you would come to know God’s calling on your life…. and you would answer Him as Isaiah did. “Here am I Lord. Send me!”. Amen
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, 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.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:1-5)
At an important juncture in Israel’s history, an earthly king has died, but the divine eternal King is lifted up! Isaiah saw a vision of God in His glory, on His throne, lifted high and exalted. In the presence of a holy God, Isaiah was acutely aware of his own and Israel’s sinfulness and unrighteousness. We should forever be aware of God’s holiness and it should humble us in His presence. Isaiah was aware of his unrighteousness (sinfulness) in God’s presence and that caused him to cry out in fear (“Woe to me!”).
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. ”
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!” (Isaiah 6:6-8)
The seraphim taking a hot coal and touching Isaiah’s lips was an act of purifying him for the work God intended to use him to do. (See the seraphim’s words “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”) When we have been saved and set free from guilt and sin, our response to God should be to surrender ourselves to be used by God, answering His calling on our life. Isaiah responded to God’s grace, mercy and call, emphatically saying “Here am I. Send me!”.
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes. ” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. (Isaiah 38:1-5)
This is an example of crying out to God in complete surrender and supplication from the depths of your heart. The prophet Isaiah was tasked by God to deliver devastating personal news to the king. It could have cost him his life. But Isaiah was obedient to his call to speak what God gave him to tell His people. Upon hearing from the prophet Isaiah, King Hezekiah’s immediate response was not anger at Isaiah, but humility and supplication before God. He presented his case directly to the Lord and he reminded God of his love and faithfulness to Him. So often we question whether God hears our prayers, but God’s response to Hezekiah’s prayer in this passage should reassure us that He does. God then gave Isaiah a new word to tell Hezekiah…. He heard Hezekiah’s prayer and saw his tears and He would add 15 years to Hezekiah’s life!
Isaiah was called by God to be His prophet. A prophet’s true calling was to tell God’s people what “thus sayeth the Lord”. This was often difficult and life threatening work, because it meant delivering God’s message to a rebellious people, that He was not pleased with them and would punish them if they failed to repent. God’s people mostly failed to heed the warnings and instead, mocked or sometimes threatened His prophets. Isaiah never backed away from his calling. He was faithful to God and was able to share incredible messages of God’s future hope and plans for Israel and all mankind as a result. Chief among these were Christ’s mission and purpose in both His first and second advents (arrivals) to free God’s people from sin and oppression, and to restore us to full relationship with Him. Isaiah shows us the magnificent and incredible journey we can experience with God when we answer and are obedient to His calling on our lives!
Blessings,
Rev. Glenn
