Isaiah 6: A Vision of God
Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:9-13
Isaiah had a magnificent vision of God in which God called him to a task. Over the next 4 days, we will examine his vision, his call, and some surprising aspects of what God did in Isaish and through him.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim[a] were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another:Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies;
his glory fills the whole earth.4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.5 Then I said:Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Armies.6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said:Now that this has touched your lips,your iniquity is removed
and your sin is atoned for.8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking:Who will I send?
Who will go for us?I said:Here I am. Send me.9 And he replied:Go! Say to these people:
Keep listening, but do not understand;
keep looking, but do not perceive.
10 Make the minds of these people dull;
deafen their ears and blind their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their minds,
turn back, and be healed.11 Then I said, “Until when, Lord?” And he replied:Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants,
houses are without people,
the land is ruined and desolate,
12 and the Lord drives the people far away,
leaving great emptiness in the land.
13 Though a tenth will remain in the land,
it will be burned again.
Like the terebinth or the oak
that leaves a stump when felled,
the holy seed is the stump.
Through the Bible Readings: Job 15-16, Acts 25:1–12, Psalm 89:35–41, Proverbs 19:10–11
If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings.
Devotional: Faithful Failure
Here am I, Lord. Send me!
Of course, I assume that the job you are calling me to do will have a huge platform, a good paycheck and solid benefits, right Lord? And everyone will love me and respect me, right? If people question me, criticize me, or complain against me, I am out the door. Oh, and Lord, my family is important to me, so I need to be within an hour or two of home, okay? I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, like the song says...within 100 miles of my hometown.
Ridiculous? Perhaps. But I am afraid our attitudes are closer to this than to Isaiah's. He saw God, experienced repentance and cleansing, and was ready for whatever job God gave him.
Here's the thing: the job God gave him was hard. He was to preach to people who would not understand his message, would hate him for proclaiming it, and would eventually kill him for his faithfulness. He was to keep preaching his unpopular message until the cities were in ruins and the land was desolate. Not exactly "positive and encouraging."
Imagine it. God called him to a ministry of faithful failure. He was to continue speaking God's truth when everyone hated him, rejected him, and wanted him dead. Isaiah's success would be strictly in God's eyes. The same was true later of Jeremiah. God called him to faithful failure.
I have pastored rapidly growing churches and seen church decline. In American Christianity, success is judged by numbers. How many of this? How many of that? I do not think we should ignore numbers - God delights to save the lost and the church not seeing baptisms should prayerfully ask why. But Scripture makes it clear that God calls us to faithful service regardless of the outcome.
You can be faithful to God and people will criticize you. (In fact, every time I have followed the leading of God I have met opposition in one way or another.) A church can experience tough times and still receive the Savior's amen (see Revelation 2-3). 2 Timothy 4 would indicate that growth could come for the WRONG reasons, by tickling itching ears. Our duty is to go where God sends us, do the ministry God puts before us, faithfully proclaim God's word, and let God work his work.
In Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, there's an interesting contrast. Commending faithful servants of the OT, the writer tells us that some "by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight." (33-34) Well, there's proof! By faith you succeed. Ah, but we must read on in verses 36-38. "Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground." Others were faithful failures and ALL, according to verse 39, were commended for their faithful lives.
God has called us to faithful service, not to success. He calls us to ministry that pleases him, not that which pleases people.
When we say, "Here am I, Lord, send me," it means something very different than often assume.
Father, use me as you see fit. Send me where you want me to go. May my life please you whether it pleases anyone else or not.
Think and Pray:
Do you live to please God or people?
When people criticize you, do you feel like quitting what God has called you to do?
No comments:
Post a Comment