Who will go for us?

I was recently approached with the questions...
How do you have so much joy?
Why do you have so much enthusiasm and energy, you clearly have no reason to be that way...

I was reading in Isaiah 6-- Isaiah wanted to see the Lord in all his holiness, his perfection, purity, and His set apart from all sin being. How often discouragement fills our days due to the pressures of society, our own frustrations, and of course all our shortcomings and failures. It is so important that we view God in all His power and realize that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is the same power God has in our own lives. Okay, back up-- that same power? Holy Cow!! Okay... Reason #1 to be completely in awe and filled with joy, energy, enthusiasm- for HIM! Seeing God in all his perfection by reading the Word and seeing His work is enough to ease us from our frustrations and doubts, which then will enable us to serve and worship Him wholeheartedly.

"The angels sang out... The whole Earth is filled with his glory!" The temple was shook and the whole building was filled with smoke... Where's the smoke in our temples, our churches, our homes, and our lives? When Isaiah saw the Lord he realized he had no hope of measuring up to God's holiness. But guess what God did? He burned his lips with coal. Ouch! But it was burning coal from the holy alter (the part with all the smoke)... God then told Isaiah that he was forgiven and his guilt was removed. God wants our humble hearts- once Isaiah realized he wasn't okay on his own and was nothing in comparison, it was then that God held him. It may be painful to be cleansed of our sins, but without this purity we cannot truely represent God because he is pure.

"Here I am. Send me!"- After this, Isaiah submitted his entire being to serving the Lord.. Well back in his day, this was a big deal because he wasn't just submitting to helping out at the Salvation Army, going on a mission trip, or being a youth pastor-- but he was surrendering to bring the corrupt land of Judah back to God. We can't so much as surrender our weekend to go help the poor, or our afternoon to spend time with the lost.

Here's the even harder part-- after Isaiah says okay and gives it his all, God tells him that the people aren't going to listen to a word he has to say. That they would have hardened hearts beyond repentance. So what's the point? If the nation wasn't going to listen, why should he go? God wanted them to not see Him with their eyes, our hear Him with their ears, or even understand Him with their hearts-- all so they would turn to Him for healing. So God stripped them of everything... their homes, their land- and sent them into captivation. Leaving them only to cry out for Him to be saved.

Some people are like the nation of Judah and wait until everything runs out before they cry out for help... Even amongst all the disobedience, God's mercy remains!! Just reading this chapter I am brought to awe. It's incredible, and I see it everyday. The undeserving blessings, the grace, the mercy--everyday He reveals Himself, and this, my friend is why I appear to be so full of joy, energy, and enthusiasm-- It's not just a facade, I simply cannot hold back how excited I am to be able to serve Him. It is the most honorable gift a person could ever have-- a heart that longs to serve our Maker.

Today, I am praying to be a more passionate server, a more desiring learner, and a more capable leader. I pray for humility and brokeness, that I not for one second believe I have reached enough. Daily my failures keep me on the sidewalk and I want to be on the road. I feel so close to His will, but my shortcomings keep me from being like Isaiah-- I want to understand and acknowledge His power so that I, too, can truely mean it when I say, "Here I am. Send me."