Text: Isaiah 6:1-13
“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.’” —Isaiah 6:8
Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt so much out of place you just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible? In third grade I had one of those situations when my mother signed me up for youth soccer. It didn’t take long at all to know that I was entirely unfit for the occasion—it only took about thirty minutes into the first practice! I didn’t stay on the team too long after that, and I’ve never played “organized” soccer since!
In the sixth chapter of Isaiah, the prophet finds himself caught up in a vision where he feels utterly and entirely unfit for the occasion. As he beholds the awesomeness of the Lord’s throne “high and lifted up” and His glory filling the temple, Isaiah becomes undone by the sense of his own sin and unworthiness to be in such a holy presence. Feelings of uncleanness made him want to run and hide. But this awakened sense of being a sinner in the presence of a holy God is setting him up for something big. As Charles Spurgeon said, “God will never do anything with us till he has first of all undone us.” It’s what happened after that revelation that made all the difference.
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’ 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.’”
Isaiah’s experience with the coals of God’s grace leads him from “Woe is me!” to “Here I am! Send me.” He goes from being convicted of his sin, to being cleansed from its guilt, to being commissioned to serve God’s purposes for his life. He recognized his own sinfulness which exposed him as “unfit” before a holy God, but he also accepted the remedy the Lord Himself provided to make him fit for God’s service. Through the purifying transaction of burning coals from the altar, Isaiah’s “guilt was taken away” and his “sin atoned for.” God declared the remedy for Isaiah’s sin to be sufficient and instantly effective. Now Isaiah is qualified to proclaim the only hope of the world—the overruling grace of God.
This changed everything in Isaiah’s life.
A similar substitutionary transaction takes place in our lives when we confess our unfitness (sinfulness) to God, and accept the fitness of Christ (His righteousness) as a free and gracious gift that cleanses us from all our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 1:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-9). In the midst of that uncleanness and sense of unworthiness, Jesus steps in and declares that He is worthy on our behalf, having become our righteousness and our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30). In that transaction, everything changes and we become ambassadors of this thing called Amazing Grace.
If we don’t allow God to turn our “woe is me” reality into a “here I am, send me” readiness, we can find ourselves timidly sinking in the mire of victimhood, where shame paralyzes us from walking out that full redemption that Christ’s death and resurrection have secured for our victory. Because Jesus has already conquered our sin through His triumph at the cross, our feelings of being “unfit” don’t get the last word. The coals of His grace still burn with refinement today. Those coals can cleanse you from sin. They can absolve your guilt. They can anoint you to face anxiety, fears, or depression. They can purge the shame and any notion of being unworthy as His child. Those coals can burn away your broken self-image and refine your heart to the image of Christ.
What if you allowed God to take the coals of purification to all of your sin, shame, failure, doubts, fears, sense of inadequacy, and trepidation today? What if you experienced a transaction like Isaiah did, exchanging your unfitness for the fitness of Jesus? What kind of spiritual boldness and missional readiness might the purging coals of the altar set on fire in your life? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, give us a vision like you gave Isaiah—one that exposes our sin and the depth of our depravity, bringing us to repentance and cleansing. Magnify Jesus in us as being the all-sufficient Savior and Sanctifier, making us fit for every purpose you ordain for our lives. Thank you for this great exchange, Christ’s righteousness for our unrighteousness. In His name we pray, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- If you were a powerful executive and could design your own office, what would your office be like?
- How did Isaiah describe the awe-inspiring sights around God’s throne? (Isaiah 6:1-4) What can we learn about the nature of God from Isaiah’s vision?
- How did Isaiah see himself once he had been exposed to God’s glory? (v. 5) Why did he feel unfit in the presence of a holy God? What provision was made for Isaiah’s guilt? (vv. 6-7)
- How did Isaiah respond to God’s call? (v. 8) What did God want Isaiah to do? (vv. 9-10)
- With whom could you be accountable to revere the holiness of God in your daily life? How can you follow Isaiah’s example of availability to God, by making yourself ready to be His messenger to others?