The Story of God: Isaiah

We expect our eye doctors to wear nice glasses.  We expect our dentists to have white teeth.  We expect our orthodontists to have straight teeth.  We expect the employees at the gym to look fit.  We expect the greeters at church to...well...not be grumpy.

We have expectations about the people who fill roles.  Doctors should look a certain way.  Athletes should look a certain way.  Teachers.  Librarians.  Lawyers.  We expect people to be obviously qualified for their positions.

At a time in history when God's people were divided, lost, and broken, God selected someone to serve as His tool in the re-building process.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  Isaiah 6:1-4

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Isaiah 6:8

GOD WAS WILLING TO BRING HEALING AND HOPE.  The problem was that all candidates for the job were also broken.  That included Isaiah.  In this story, God reminds us that God uses the broken to heal the broken.  

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”  Isaiah 6:5-7

God did not respond by telling him, "It's okay.  You're innocent."  Instead, God responded by removing his guilt.  That's mercy.

In choosing to use broken people to heal broken hearts, God is assuming all the risk.  That kind of plan seems flawed.  But God does not see it that way.  He knows He is in control.

Over and over, God has shown his willingness to use fractured people to heal broken hearts

There is no reason for me not to be a world changer.  I have no excuse!

I can sit back and say:

"I'm not qualified."
"I'm not well enough."
"My life is too messed up."

Or I can trust God to qualify me and get to work!

God will declare me worthy to give hope.  God will make me fit to bring healing.