Equipped

Isaiah 6:1–8  Who likes to take on trouble? Worse yet, to do so single-handedly? The task Isaiah faced was a difficult and undesirable one. The Israelites were in a mess—again. They were suffering because of their sinful ways. The problem was so immense and overwhelming that no one seemed able or even available to help. God himself asked the question, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah answered, “Here am I. Send me!” Wait a minute. What made Isaiah run to the problem rather than following the instinct to avoid conflict and personal danger? Isaiah wasn’t a damage-control expert or a crisis-management counselor. He was a lone prophet. So how was he equipped to intervene? What prompted Isaiah to step forward and offer himself to God was an experience in worship that altered him forever. Isaiah saw God seated on his throne in heaven. His senses were overwhelmed with the magnificence of God’s presence. He heard the antiphonal singing of the seraphs, whose voices shook the doorposts and thresholds. Smoke filled the sanctuary. Isaiah was humbled and awestruck. Everything pointed the prophet beyond the current task to the eternal glory of God. The weight of coming face-to-face with God was so intense that it nearly crushed Isaiah. Yet at the same time it revived and rejuvenated him. Seeing God in all his glory and splendor and worshiping him equipped Isaiah to serve God. Has God called you to a task for which you feel completely inadequate? Perhaps you’re parenting a child with a disability, disciplining a rebellious son, caring for an elderly parent, battling to preserve a broken marriage. The key to taking on the extraordinary challenge is to worship God, to spend time in his presence meditating on just how awesome he is. When we praise God’s holiness and majesty, when we focus on his strength and wisdom, then we are assured of the courage and vigor he makes available to us—the power to go one more mile, to endure one more day, to love one more hour, to forgive one more time. Like Isaiah, we can face these hard assignments with confidence that if God has called us, he will equip us. Reflection In what ways has worship sustained and encouraged you in the past? What difficult task is God calling you to now? Will you say, like Isaiah, “Here am I, send me”? Take some time to sit quietly and think about God. Let yourself think of his holiness, his majesty, his power, his love. Be still and know that he is God. Isaiah 6:8  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!” Related Readings  1 Kings 17:1–6; Isaiah 50:4–10; Hebrews 13:20–21