Isaiah's Vision

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ "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."

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

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!"

⁹ He said, "Go and tell this people:
" 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed."

¹¹ Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?"
And he answered:
"Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged...

Isaiah 6:1-11 NIV

In a very turbulent and yet prosperous time for Isaiah's country, the King who had led them into prosperity had died. The people had to feel at a loss because their earthly King had died. Surely, even Isaiah felt at a loss. Yet, when Isaiah saw heaven in his vision, God made sure He saw that there is still a King on the throne, the one true King was on His throne. No matter what is going on in our earthly lives, our King is still on His throne! That's wonderful news!

As soon as Isaiah sees this vision of the King, he instantly feels shame for his own sins. The first thing he says is that his lips are unclean and the lips of everyone he lives with is unclean. The angel then picks up a piece of coal and places it on his lips. After studying this verse, I found an interesting comparison. When you think about hot coal touching your lips on Earth, you would immediately think that it would burn your skin! It would burn the flesh off of your lips and it seems that would make it more difficult to speak. Yet, the truth of the matter is that in spiritual terms, God can never use you if you don't first lose your flesh. Flesh has to be sacrificed in order for God to truly work in you. That's the truth of the matter. Whatever form that flesh is given to God, it has to be completed before God can send you on your destiny.

Finally, God asks who He can send to talk to these stubborn people. Why would God ask such a thing? Obviously, He knows everything. God always asks that question. God will not ever force us to "Go" for Him. God asks if there are any volunteers. He waits for people to be willing to go. Yes, their refusal to go may delay a Kingdom agenda. Or, it may cause one person to miss out on their destiny while it is given to someone else. In the end, God will always accomplish what He set out to do. But, it is up to us to be willing to be used in this plan.

I suppose after being brought to heaven through a vision, having his lips cleansed, and then volunteering to go on a mission for God, then one might think Isaiah would receive some great and grand adventure. Well, in God's terms, it was a great and grand adventure. In our terms, it looks like a very difficult path to follow with little gratitude. God was already set on judgment after having dealt with the rebelliousness of the people for some time. He told Isaiah to go and preach to the people, but he also told him they wouldn't listen. He sent him on a mission where Isaiah's preaching itself would drive the people further away from God. God already knew the ultimate end was that they would perish and only a remnant would remain.

After hearing all of this, Isaiah had to ask God, "How long?" The answer was basically, until it was finished, until the people had perished, until the worst had come.

What can we learn from this part of Isaiah's life?

-No matter what happens in life, God is still on His throne.

- Stubbornness and rebelliousness will always reap judgment. God is a righteous judge.

-We can not truly be used by God without first sacrificing flesh.

- We must be willing to work for God. He will not force us to do so.

-When we accept our assignment, sometimes it will be difficult and painful. Yet, it will be essential to God's plan. Sometimes, all that remains is all that was meant to remain.

My advice today is simply to seek God in prayer and see how these lessons can apply to your own life.