◄ What Does Isaiah 6:8 Mean? ►

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8(NASB)

Verse of the Day

Having recognised his shocking sinfulness and having had his filthy lips cleansed, the heavens were thrown open, and Isaiah the prophet gazed in awe and wonderment, on the magnificence of the holy temple of the Lord. Prostrating himself before the very throne of God, he said, with hushed words we all long to voice, yet often fail to utter, "Lord, here am I, send me."

It is the Lord God Almighty Who asked in his hearing, "Whom shall I send?" and it was the Triune Godhead Who continued to ask, "and who will go for Us?" It was the awesome vision of Divinity's glory, in that holiest of all places that met Isaiah's startled eyes, for when he saw the Lord, high and lifted up, in His lofty, heavenly place and seated upon His magnificent throne of grace, Isaiah recognised his own sinfulness and realised he was not worthy to stand in the presence of such holiness.

The sinfulness of fallen man with his filthy lips, who lives alongside other sinners with equally defiled mouths, is contrasted with the thrice-holy Lord of Hosts. Fallen humanity is placed in opposition with the One Who is high and lifted up, Whose glory fills the whole earth, Whose train fills the heavens and Who is surrounded by a host of six-winged seraphim, worshipping the Lord and calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. His glory fills the whole earth."

Yet Isaiah's heavenly vision of the Lord is the most beautiful picture of God's grace, because the foul mouth of this sinful man was cleansed and beautified by glowing coal, that had been taken from the heavenly altar, and placed on his lips. And Isaiah was told, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven."

It was a glorious vision of Deity that met the startled eyes of this humbled man. It was the glory of God seated in the midst of a multitude of angelic beings, worshiping in the temple of His holy Presence, which met Isaiah's astonished eyes and caused those earth-shattering words to be whispered, by this chosen vessel of God, "Lord, here am I, send me."

The thrice-holy Lord asked a question in Isaiah's hearing, saying, "Who should I send? Who will go for Us?" The man who is SENT by the Lord on a divine mission, must be a man that is willing to GO for the Lord. It was when Isaiah was compelled in his heart to reply, "Lord! Here am I, send me," that we see the collaborative working of God's divine purpose uniting with man's willingness to go.

Astonishing as Isaiah's magnificent vision of God's glory is, where He glimpsed the Lord seated in the wonderful splendour of His heavenly Temple, the truth for those in the Body of Christ, is far more staggering in this Church age, for we have become the chosen Temple of God's Holy Spirit. We have been selected to be used as the place in which the divine Creator has chosen to reside.

The Body of Christ, which is the Church, has been chosen by God to be His permanent dwelling place, throughout time and into the eternal ages to come, for our bodies are a temple of the living God and the Spirit of God dwells within each one of us.

If we were truly to catch one glimpse of the awesome nature of this reality, we would be forever stripped of all our own vain-glories, self-importance, pride, presumption, and arrogance. But too often, those that have been saved by grace through faith in Christ are glaringly ignorant of the incalculably, privileged position we hold.

If we really came to terms with the reality of the position we hold as the dwelling place of the most high God, we would also prostrate our humbled being before His holy Presence, and whisper with Isaiah, "Lord, here am I, send me."

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, teach me more of Who You are and show me how flawed my understanding is of who I truly am and of all that Christ has done for me. Thank you for cleansing my lips and washing me clean in the blood of Jesus. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live in me and for building me up, into the living Temple, with all who are saved by grace, through faith in Christ. In a world that has lost its way, I pray in Jesus' name, "Lord. Here am I, send me." AMEN.