This morning I was reading Isaiah 6. It's the famous chapter of Isaiah's calling where he goes to the temple and experiences God in a very life-altering way. The Bible tells us that the "train of His robe filled the temple" and there were seraphim (angelic creatures) flying around saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." At the sight of all this, Isaiah realizes that he is not worthy and a seraphim came and touched a coal to his lips and declares that his sin is atoned for and forgiven. After this God speaks up and asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Well, Isaiah finds himself responding, "Here am I, send me." Then, it's like there is a curtain call and we all rise to our feet and give God, Isaiah and the heavenly creatures a standing ovation. Except, that's not where the story ends.
So often, I have read this passage or heard it preached and stopped paying much attention after Isaiah's lofty acceptance. The thing is, there is so much more. If you thought the first half of the plot was interesting with all of its smoke, seraphim, and the presence of God, well, the second half won't leave you disappointed. Isaiah signs up for Lord knows what (literally), and then he finds out real quick that the task at hand is going to be hefty. See, God follows up Isaiah's acceptance speech with a command to talk to people who inevitably won't actually listen to him. "Go and tell this people, hear and hear continually, but understand not; and see and see continually, but do not apprehend with your mind." (v. 9 AMP) Sounds very promising...not. Then, Isaiah has the boldness to ask God how long this "unseeing" thing would last and He responds by declaring judgment on the people of Israel. "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant and houses without man, and the land is utterly desolate." (v.11 AMP) Super hopeful and encouraging.
These are Isaiah's people that God is saying all these harsh things about. Heck, these are God's people that He's saying all these harsh things about. This is not ideal for either one of them. God wants His people to serve Him again. Isaiah wants the same thing. He loves his people, his culture, and is now burdened with a very strong message to share, one that will lead to captivity and a difficult future. Yet, his desire to serve God and his desire to see his people follow Him again compel him to share this message, no matter how difficult it may be to bear. Seeing as there are 66 chapters in Isaiah, this is only just the beginning of his trying journey.
See, we lose such an important part of the story if we stop at the moment Isaiah volunteers. The "glory" of stepping forward is so easily highlighted, but we quickly forget or gloss over the immense burden that it comes with. Isaiah had to carry this burden for the rest of his life and it led him to say and do things I'm sure he would've never thought of before. The same can be said of us today. Oftentimes, we "sign up" to be a follower of Christ and don't always realize the burden that comes along with it. We can no longer look at the world the same way. More specifically, we may feel called to certain type of ministry or work, and then realize the weight we feel for that will never go away. Instead, many times, the burden tends to only increase and we find ourselves in the shoes of Isaiah, feeling compelled to participate in a difficult work for the sake of God's glory and the benefit of those around us.
As I have been having conversations recently about specific needs in our culture that I feel burdened about, I can't help but be both discouraged and encouraged by Isaiah's story. It's discouraging that the burden I feel may never go away. Instead it may increase and I may find myself in some trying situations as I move forward. But it's beyond encouraging to know that through it all God is with me and this burden is a gift that compels me to share, speak out, to act on behalf of His kingdom and love for others.
