SATURDAY, MAY 7
READ ISAIAH 6:1-8
ISAIAH 6:1 In the year of King ‘Uziyahu’s death I saw Adonai sitting on a high, lofty throne! The hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 S’rafim stood over him, each with six wings — two for covering his face, two for covering his feet and two for flying. 3 They were crying out to each other,
“More holy than the holiest holiness
is Adonai-Tzva’ot!
The whole earth is filled
with his glory!”
4 The doorposts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said,
“Woe to me! I [too] am doomed! —
because I, a man with unclean lips,
living among a people with unclean lips,
have seen with my own eyes
the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot!”
6 One of the s’rafim flew to me with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said,
“Here! This has touched your lips.
Your iniquity is gone,
your sin is atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying,
“Whom should I send?
Who will go for us?”
I answered, “I’m here, send me!”
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In today’s reading we focus on God’s call to Isaiah: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” The words do not appear to be spoken to Isaiah, but Isaiah can hear them. Because the burning coal has seared his unclean lips, blotting out his sin and dispelling his guilt, Isaiah can hear the voice of God! Moreover, he responds, “Here am I; send me!” We know the rest of the story from the verses that follow: God calls Isaiah and commissions him to tell the people of Judah of coming destruction. Isaiah is to speak a message they will not heed until the land is “utterly desolate” (6:11).When God comes to us, God calls us to go into the world. We fear the searing coal and the hard task. We feel burdened; we draw back. We can hardly keep our own lives together. How can we say to God, “Here am I; send me”?
We can respond affirmatively to God’s request because in God’s cleansing, God clears away our fear, our resistance, our disability; we have only the task and its own difficulties—and we have God’s energy for the task. When we experience God, God propels us into the hard tasks: feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, visiting the prisoners, fighting oppression, preaching the word.
“Here am I; send me.” Surely it is worth releasing ourselves to God and passing through the refining fire that blots out our sin so that we can hear God’s voice and respond clearly to God. God enables us to answer, “Here am I; send me.” Being able to answer and to act is itself a gift from God and brings us peace.
Redeemer God, we want to see you, to hear your voice. We acknowledge the world’s great need. By your grace we will respond, “Here am I; send me.” Amen.[N. Sue Van Sant Palmer]
The dedication of the Prayer Room and the Prayer Walk through the Oregon Convention Center will be at 11:00AM PDT on Monday, May 9, in the Prayer Room (Oregon Ballroom 204). The General Conference Guide has this taking place at 1:30pm on Monday, May 9, so this is a change in the schedule.
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
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