From Isaiah 6: “And then…?”

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: ‘Who will I send? Who will go for us?’ I said: ‘Here I am. Send me.’” (v. 8)

Isaiah 6 features one of the most stirring moments in all of Scripture.

The prophet, by sheer grace, is welcomed into the Lord’s presence. He gets to glimpse God in His heaven! And it’s an overwhelming experience: angelic beings, thunderous praise, utter holiness.

Isaiah’s response seems pretty sensible:

I’m done for! I, in my sin, can’t be here! Even the fact that I live close to other sinners disqualifies me! Woe is me!

Yet—still more grace—God sends someone to the man to atone for his sin. (Tell me you’re seeing the Gospel in this!)

All of that right there is enough—good and clarifying and worth talking about.

And then….

When Isaiah is welcomed—redeemed, restored—the next step is revealed: There is a world full of people, further removed from God’s presence where Isaiah now stands, and they need to hear. Yes, the message is a warning, but it’s a worthy warning.

So God asks, “Who will go?”

And Isaiah says, “I will.”

May this be an illuminating passage for your own life. You, who have been redeemed by the grace of Holy God, now stand at the “and then” crossroads.

When He calls—for Gospel goers, for messengers, for truth-givers—will you answer?

— Tyler