Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” - Isaiah 6:6-7
When we have a vision of God, we get a true look at ourselves. “My destruction is sealed!” we say. Seeing him looking at me makes me aware of the blemishes in my character. When I see the Lord, I see the world, too. I stop saying, “Here am I, send somebody else,” and I start saying, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” He then equips me by cleansing me for service. What I say will burn its way into people’s thoughts and bring them to the point of deciding for or against God.
“But whom do I talk to?” you may ask. “How am I expected to know who needs God’s message?” God told Isaiah what to tell “these people.” “These people” were the same people Isaiah had been preaching to for a long, long time. He had been getting discouraged because they hadn’t responded, but God sent his prophet right back to tell them all over again. What was more, the Lord told Isaiah that they still wouldn’t listen! But that was not to be his concern.
How do you keep going when all your effort seems futile? You’ll need time to get a fresh vision of God—which will give you a fresh vision of yourself, a new look at your world, and a new concern in your heart. Then you’ll be able to go back to rebellious people and see a difference. Not in them, perhaps, but certainly in you! You’ll find you have the capacity to be faithful without having to see the results.
For Further Study: Isaiah 6:1-13
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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