“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs form the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched our lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:6-8 NKJV

OBSERVATION

This is part 2 of a Here I Am, Send Me. Isaiah, encounters God and is overwhelmed with the fact that he doesn’t measure up to God’s Holiness. Shaken to the core he’s floored. Heaven responds with an angel grabbing a live, hot, searing, coal from the altar, and touching that red-hot coal to the lips of Isaiah. The pain and shock must have been incredible, but the angel comforts Isaiah by telling him that he’s been made clean by the experience. Immediately after being purged from sin Isaiah hears God calling for someone to become a messenger for him. Isaiah then know he’s meant to carry God’s word. This experience fuels Isaiah for his entire prophetic ministry, lasting 64 chapters in his old-testament book. Isaiah has some of the clearest most profound prophecy about Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

APPLICATION

I know I don’t measure up to God’s standard of Holiness. Passages like “Be perfect as God is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) or “Be holy as I am Holy” (Leviticus 11:44) remind me that as a Christian I’m called to pursue perfection. Honestly the thought of actually trying to run after that standard sounds impossible and I’m shaken to the core just like Isaiah was in this passage. I know I don’t measure up, but just like in this passage God made a way for me. But in my case it wasn’t a coal pulled from the altar, it was Jesus nailed to a cross. It’s not my actions that make me Holy it’s Jesus’ sacrifice and His righteousness that purify me. It’s because of Jesus that even when I don’t feel qualified, He says I’m enough. It’s the practice of keeping my eyes on Jesus that fuel me to serve Him without fear of failure. Even when I fail, I know I can’t lose because He has already won the war.

PrayER

God, help me to keep my eyes and heart on Jesus as I walk through my life. Thank you for making a way for me to despite my weakness. Thank you for believing I’m worth giving everything on the cross and that I’m valuable. Give me vision in my relationship with you and help me to stay focused on the calling that you have for my life.

Amen