And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us ” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

ISAIAH 6:8

LIVING ON MISSION IN WORSHIP

Imagine your reaction if you were given an unvarnished glimpse of the full weight and majesty of the glory of God. No filters. Just you face-to-face, encountering God Himself.

Isaiah is given this vision in Isaiah 6, and the scene is both fascinating and awe-inspiring. He sees the Lord seated high on a throne above him, the train of His robe filling the temple, and the Lord Himself being worshipped continually by fiery, angelic, six-winged beings standing above Him, shouting:

Isaiah is taking this all in, and his thoughts immediately zero in on his (and Israel’s) complete unworthiness in comparison to the holiness of God he’s seeing. Isaiah is confronted with clear and present danger, as human sin cannot coexist with the holiness of God.

Have you ever been there? A clear picture of who you are, warts and all, and a clear picture of the holiness of God at the same time? That despair we feel between who we are and who God is makes the Good News of Jesus jump off the page!

Like Isaiah, we immediately come to the end of our own abilities to clean ourselves up and gratefully reach for the mercy and grace God offers us through the finished work of His own Son on the cross!

In Isaiah 6, God makes the first move toward Isaiah, having coals taken from the temple altar touch his lips and atone for his sin. Amazing!

Remember Isaiah’s trembling before God? While we should naturally have the same awe and holy fear of God, the New Testament shouts that we’re able to “have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20)! Confidence to enter in—not according to what we’ve done, but by the blood of Jesus making atonement for us.

What’s our response to all this good news?

Do you remember the last out of the 2023 World Series, when Josh Sborz struck out Ketel Marte to secure the Rangers’ first World Series? Remember the elation, the exuberance, the excitement, the “I can’t believe this!” feeling? It’s a trivial example, but that elation and celebration is a mere glimpse of how worship feels when we see ourselves and God’s holiness rightly and truly understand the chasm that the blood of Jesus closes.

Worship can and should come rushing out of us daily as we mine His Word and discover for ourselves more of its implications.

In Isaiah 6, God’s not done with Isaiah. He has a tough message of judgment and repentance to deliver to Israel, and questions who will deliver the message in Isaiah’s presence. This questioning comes immediately after Isaiah’s guilt before God has been pardoned, and his sin atoned for. What’s Isaiah’s response to God’s tough but open opportunity?

Isaiah has fully encountered the weight and glory of God, seen who he is in light of God’s holiness, had the sin that separates him from God atoned for by God’s doing and not his own, and his response is, “Here I am! Send me.” Let us have the same response!

Both deep worship and a strong desire to join in what the Lord is accomplishing through His Kingdom naturally flow from a right understanding of all the Lord did for us through Christ. By daily remembering and sitting with all the implications of the gospel, we’re enabled, by the power of His Spirit, to both worship Him in spirit and truth and join His work for our good and His glory.

PRAY

Father, give me a fresh picture of all you accomplished through Christ on my behalf, embed it deep in my spirit, and let it overflow into true worship of you.

May that true worship result in a desire and willingness to jump at opportunities you provide to join you in the work you’re doing amongst your people for your glory.

In Jesus’ name, amen.