Bible Passage: “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 6:8 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6:1-13
Life’s comparison trap is indiscriminate.
Men are not immune to it. We measure ourselves against other men. Other husbands, fathers, leaders—all of them provide a lens through which we examine ourselves.
Sometimes the view is pleasing; we find that we are not outmatched on all counts.
Other times, in the bright light that other men seem to shine, we see the men we want to be, the men we believe we could be in our better moments.
Isaiah has a moment of comparison. But his lens sweeps aside all pretense.
Standing before actual holiness, Isaiah’s only response is “Woe to me!”
God’s holiness is the standard. In that light, all we can recognize is that we are ruined.
We are undone, finished, destroyed. For Isaiah, and for us, the realization of God’s holiness is not a cause for inspiration. God’s holiness exposes our own unholiness, and our reply is simply, “Oh no!”
But the encounter, like so many others in Scripture, does not end on the note of self-condemnation.
Isaiah’s exposure provides an opportunity for God to do something that Isaiah cannot do for himself.
Standing exposed before a holy God, Isaiah knows he can do nothing but accept the ruin and judgment that surely must come.
However, God cleanses him instead. The burning coal from the altar burns away the stain of sin from his unclean lips.
The point of this encounter, though, is not the grace of God, though that can be celebrated and embraced. Rather, it is Isaiah’s response:
“Here am I. Send me!”
God’s mercy on Isaiah turns him from a man of fear and trembling, awaiting the just destruction that must come for his sins, into a man of willingness and action. Isaiah is prepared to do what God asks.
The sequence is important. It is only after we have received God’s mercy that we can embrace God’s call.
If you are looking to be a man of action—a man who steps into God’s call on his life, to proclaim the coming Kingdom of God, living as one of its citizens and inviting others to know the God who exposes them but offers mercy—you must first face the exposure of God’s holiness and then the searing heat of His mercy.
Exposure, mercy, invitation, action.
Prayer: Holy God, in the radiance of Your pure holiness, I am revealed in the rags and filth that is mine. Thank You for Your willingness to burn away all the impurities in my life. Help me to answer the call that You declare. Help me to respond, “Send me!” Amen.
Reflection: In the sequence of exposure, mercy, invitation, action, where do you find yourself? Are you hiding from the exposure, cowering from the heat of mercy, ignoring the invitation, or embracing the summons to action?
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