September 12 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:8-10 Isaiah didn’t passively say, “Lord, if You want, You can use me.” Rather, the original text indicates he said, “Behold me.” Look at me, Lord. Thus, with the enthusiasm of an eager first-grader who knows the answer, Isaiah raised his hand to get the Teacher’s attention and said, “Send me, Lord.” It has been said that Isaiah’s calling can be summarized as Woe, Lo, and Go. “Woe is me,” Isaiah said in verse 5. “Lo, this iniquity is taken away,” the seraphim said in verse 7. “Go,” the Lord said in verse 9. “Who will go?” the Lord asked. “Count me in,” Isaiah answered. “How can I not go? I’ve seen You. I’ve been touched by You. I’ll go.” Will you go? Whether that means across the seas or across the street, around the block or around the office, will you tell people about the One who saved your soul? Daniel 12 says those who win souls are wise and that they shall shine as the stars forever. But if that concept is too hard to grasp, ask anyone who’s been witnessing or on the mission field and they’ll tell you they find it to be wonderfully fulfilling and addicting in the best sense of the word. You see, the Holy Spirit is like electricity. He’ll only go into an object if there is a way out of that object. People wonder why the Holy Ghost isn’t moving in their lives, but it’s because there’s no outflow. Plug into ministry, sharing, missions - and you will feel the current of the Holy Ghost flowing through you. Isaiah sees the Lord. He’s humbled before the Lord. He’s touched by the Lord. He offers himself to the Lord. But what does the Lord say? “Go and preach - but no one will be converted. No one will listen or respond. You’ll open your home for Bible study and no one will come. You’ll witness and people will walk away.” Why would the Lord say this? In Matthew 13, Jesus referred to this very passage when He said He spoke in parables lest the people understand what He was saying and be converted. Why wouldn’t Jesus want everyone converted? Because God allows man to make his own choice. God won’t force His will on anyone. If a person says, “I do not want to know the Lord. I want to be my own God,” the Lord will allow his ears to be stopped and his eyes to be made blind lest they be converted against their own will. God wanted Isaiah to speak His Word and to be His witness in order that people might see how they were either rejecting or responding to Him. So too, our calling is not to be successful in ministry. Our calling is simply to be obedient to the Master. Those who are elected will respond. Others won’t. Our message just shows people where they’re at. This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book A Day of Feasting by Pastor Jon.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:01:57 +0000
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