Your Isaiah 6 Moment

Have you ever had a moment when you were completely awestruck? I was around fourteen years old when I started playing the drums. I am not all that great, especially now that I have stopped playing as much. When I first started however I would watch videos of drummers and would try so hard to be like them. My favorite drummer at the time was Jen Ledger. She is the drummer for the Christian rock band Skillet. One time I got to see the band live in concert and I was losing my mind. At one point she reached her hand out and was giving fans high fives and I got a high five from her! I remember staring at my hand in awe because the best drummer, in my opinion, just touched my hand. In comparison to Jen Ledger I was not that great on the drums and I just touched a professional's hand, I was on cloud nine. This awestruck moment is nowhere near the type of awe that Isaiah experienced when he was in the actual presence of the Lord.

In chapter 6 of Isaiah, he enters the throne room and sees the Lord himself sitting on the throne, and looks and sees angels worshipping the Lord. Isaiah’s response is what I expect anyones response would probably be. He is face to face with God Himself, the picture of perfection, and sees how imperfect he is. Just like me seeing Jen Ledger in her amazing drum skills, I couldn't help but notice how much I was NOT like her. Isaiah saw God, and his reaction was, “Woe is me! For I am lost!” Some translations say ‘ruined” He is seeing how much he is not like God at all. We all come to this point in our lives as Christians. That is a huge part of our testimonies, coming to a point where you see the Lord, and realize how broken we are in light of the perfect God.

This crazy experience doesn't end there for Isaiah, he then realizes not only was he in the presence of the Lord, but these angels who were shouting with booming voices that were shaking the foundations of the threshold “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Host.” He realizes not only was he imperfect compared to a perfect God, but he was also unworthy of doing what these angels were doing. He says, “for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips.” He is so unworthy of even being able to lift praises to the Lord, and those he surrounded himself with were also unworthy of praising the Lord. I could approach Jen Ledger and give her praises for being an awesome drummer, but who am I to tell her she is good? My word means very little to her, as an amateour. This is the feeling that Isaiah had, what good are his praises to a God who is all perfect!

A seraphim flew to him then with a hot coal and touched his lips and told him, “behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” This is a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Isaiah had the punishment happen to him, but Jesus took that punishment for us. Jesus died and suffered on a cross for us to have a relationship with him, and for us to give God the praise he is due. This was Isaiah’s “come to Jesus moment.” It's the moment he shares with others to share the good news with them. The good news that while yes we are sinners, the Lord forgives and atones. As Christians, we all have a “come to Jesus” moment. It's that moment where we realize how perfect God is, and how broken we are. Just like Isaiah, “Woe is me, for I am ruined.” From that moment we accept the Lord as our Savior and Jesus intercedes for us and forgives us for our sins. Our sins are atoned for. What happened next though? Isaiah is commissioned.

Isaiah 6:8-9 is the commissioning of Isaiah. Commissioning in this context is an order given to Isaiah, given to him through the authority of the Lord. The Lord asks the question, who is going to go do my work and immediately Isaiah says, “Here I am! Send me” We are all called on this commission. The Lord is asking who is going to go and love my people and share the Gospel, us as believers must say “Here I am Lord, send me!” In Matthew 28:18-19 the disciples get the same commission from Jesus himself. Jesus sends them under his authority to do the work of the Lord. We as disciples of the Lord have been given authority from God himself to go and make disciples. We all experience an Isaiah 6 moment and must now Go just as the Lord commands in and out of season.