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Seven centuries before the Christ came, God had a job that needed to be done. He asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah replied, “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:8). The willingness of the prophet to accept the task to which God referred was exemplary for those who seek to serve God in any era.
Notice some of the background of the “Isaiah” attitude. He had seen a vision of the Lord in His glory, sitting upon His eternal throne. Such a glorious God deserved the fullest service. Could it be that so few in the church and in the world have the attitude of Isaiah because they have never caught the vision of the Lord’s glory and power? Of course, He does not manifest Himself to people today in direct visions of glory as the one the prophet saw. However, He has enabled us to see the great measure of His glory, majesty, and authority through His Word and His world. When men visualize His glory, they will be more likely to serve Him.
Isaiah was very humble before the Lord and felt himself unworthy to be so near Him (Isa. 6:5). So many are hindered from serving God wholeheartedly because of pride. Pride prevents our assuming the role of servants. It makes us want to protect our dignity above all. Pride convinces us that we know more than God. It makes us think we can improve on God’s eternal plans. It makes us think our plans are more important than God’s. Until we learn to take up our “towel” (John 13:3–16) as well as our cross, and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23), the “Isaiah” attitude will elude us.
Isaiah humbly confessed his sins and his unworthiness before God (Isa. 6:5). Many people refuse to obey the plan of salvation because they feel inadequate and unworthy. Many members of the church commit some sin and then drift further away from God because they realize they have sinned. This is the classic “catch 22” or endless cycle of many lives: people sin because they refuse to serve, and they continue to refuse or fail to serve because they have sinned. The only solution is to break the cycle as did Isaiah—obtain the Lord’s forgiveness by following His plan for our forgiveness.
With the vision of God’s glory and the assurance of God’s pardon fresh in his mind, Isaiah was ready to go wherever God would send and to serve however God would assign. Oh, how the Lord needs men, women, boys, and girls with the “Isaiah” attitude. When the call for workers goes forth this attitude will make us respond personally, immediately, and unconditionally, with a hearty, “Here am I; send me.”
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, May 1, 2016, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
