Isaiah's Call (Isaiah 6:1-13)

This reflection was written for the upcoming IDK 2015, an event for young people exploring a call into ministry.  I've posted it here because, well, it seemed like the place to put it...even if you're not called into ministry, there might be a few things worth thinking/praying about in this post...

I've always found the story of Isaiah's call fascinating for several reasons (listed below). It's not that I can necessarily relate to Isaiah's story - I haven't seen God robed in splendor in a sanctuary and I've never had an angel put a burning coal to my lips. But there are some things about this story that I can relate to:

1. "I'm a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips" - there have been times when I've been unfaithful to God or when I've made poor choices and I begin to wonder about God's wisdom in calling a guy like me into ministry. If you talk to a lot of pastors, they'll likely tell you something similar. Isaiah is helpful here - God didn't call Isaiah because Isaiah was perfect or because Isaiah was more awesome than everybody else. We should notice that God doesn't argue with Isaiah when Isaiah says that his lips are unclean, but God does purify Isaiah's lips/mouth (that's what's going on with the burning coal). God's calling into ministry is not about how holy or good or gifted a person is, but about God choosing ordinary people to proclaim an extraordinary Gospel and do extraordinary things for God's Kingdom.
2. Saying "ok" to God can lead to pain (but pain for a purpose) - a couple of weeks ago, I burned two fingertips on our brand-new panini press and it was painful.  It wasn't even a bad burn - barely even noticeable a few hours later.  And anybody who has endured are really bad sunburn can agree that getting burned is extremely uncomfortable.  When the angel touches Isaiah's mouth with the burning coal, it's not the physical pain that's the issue.  Having God cleanse us - our thoughts, our speech, our actions - can be a very uncomfortable experience.  Even though I recognized and accepted God's call into ministry at the age of 16, the Holy Spirit is still doing the work of cleansing and purifying in me - and at times it can be pretty painful.  While the purifying grace of sanctification is a life-long process that can be painful and really uncomfortable (and repeatedly needed), God's sanctifying grace allows us to grow in our faith and trust God more and more.
3. In verse 8, the Lord asks: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  Isaiah quickly answers: "Me...I'll go!  Here I am!"  Sometimes you need to be careful what you sign up for, because God immediately tells Isaiah that he will prophesying to people who won't understand, won't see, and won't hear.  I love the people in my church and I love being a minister, but there are days when it feels that way.  I think that God might have been preparing Isaiah for the reality that his prophetic ministry was not always going to be easy nor was it always going to be "successful" (at least not in the way the world around us defines "success").  Saying "yes!  Here I am!" when God calls is a remarkable, wonderful thing worth celebrating.  And even when things get difficult, when the road gets steep, and when it seems that nobody's listening - God is still with us and still calling us.

When I was a junior in high school, struggling with whether or not God was calling me into ministry, reading about Isaiah's faith and his willingness to say "Here am I! Send me!" was inspiring and challenging in the best way.  It also helped to know that someone like Isaiah would face difficulty and struggle - and that God would be with him all the way.

I'm praying for all of you who are figuring out God's call in your life.  It's been (and continues to be) an amazing, difficult, joyful, exhilarating adventure following God's call and trying to follow where Jesus leads.  I'm thankful we're  on this road together!

Grace and Peace,

Wes Smith

btw, check out the IDK website or find us at callingIDK on Facebook, Twitter (@callingIDK), and Instagram...