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.”
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 6:1-8
Here am I. Send me!
Background
Isaiah was caught up in a vision. A glimmer of heaven. The Lord was seated on the throne. There were angels. Seraphim. And this scene commanded worship.
The seraphim yelled out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory”. At the singing, the doorposts and thresholds shook. The temple was filled with smoke. This worship had so much power.
And caught in that unspeakable glory, Isaiah felt unqualified. Like he didn’t fit. He felt unclean. His sin felt heavy and in such contrast to the holiness around him. And something interesting happened. An atonement was made. A live coal was taken by a seraphim from the altar. The coal was placed on Isaiah’s lips. And his guilt was taken away. His sins were erased. A bridge was provided so Isaiah could participate in the moment.
And the next scene revealed a picture that likely plays out even now in heaven. The Lord was asking a question – “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And Isaiah said “Here am I. Send me!”. Note the exclamation point. This wasn’t a “if you can’t find anyone, I can do it”. Isaiah didn’t yet know the assignment. He didn’t know the risk. Or the cost. But his heart was fully revealed in the moment. He had just witnessed God’s glory. He was holy. He was oh so good. It was crystal clear. He could be trusted. And Isaiah was fully in. Exclamation point.
Reflections
There is this tension that many of us wrestle with deep down. Which started in the garden. There is this whisper that God can’t fully 100% be trusted. Maybe 95%. But there are some activities or pleasures that should not be passed up. And so many of us hold back a bit. Sometimes with the forbidden fruit firmly in our hands. In many other cases we are simply motivated by fear. Believing safety and cautiousness is more prudent.
Signing up for an unspecified mission is not in our nature. For most. And therefore we often hold back. Not wanting to go “all in”.
But our lives have been created for a beautiful purpose. We have been placed and created for an assignment. A mission that will seal our earthly legacy. And God is asking “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” He knows who He has chosen and created for the mission. It is you. It is me. But we have a choice.
Join me. Without hesitation. Without fear. But trusting in this crazy good Lord.
“Here am I. Send me!”. Exclamation point.
Lord, help me to increasingly trust in your nature. And goodness. To be willing to give you everything. To jump all in without hesitation. Without even fully knowing the requirements. Help me not to trade earthly pleasures for heavenly assignments. Or safety and cautiousness for adventure and obedience. I want to love you blindly. And with an exclamation point. Amen.
What if we began living a life marked by “Here am I – send me!” How would that posture define our legacy?
What if we fully gave God our last 5%…and held nothing back? What might He do with that piece?
What if... 