“I saw the Lord…”—Isaiah 6:1
To live our best lives, we need a vision or revelation from God. To help us realize that vision He takes us through a process:
Preparation
The prophet Isaiah encountered God and his world changed. “I saw the Lord! Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips,” he cried, recognizing his sin in light of God’s glory. Then an angel touched his lips with live coal and pronounced, “Your sin is purged.”
Isaiah was cleansed and prepared for what came next:
Participation
“Lord, here am I! Send me!” Isaiah answered the Lord’s call. No longer would Isaiah sit on the sidelines of life and watch the action. There would be no more wasted hours of idle entertainment, numbing his senses, bored, stunted, and directionless. God had given him a purpose and a calling.
Purpose
“Go, and tell this people,” God commanded then told Isaiah what to say.
Isaiah was called to be a prophet. God had a specific purpose for his life, one that would give Isaiah a passion for living, a heart for others, and a mission for his life.
God also has a specific purpose and outlet for our gifts and talents. He does not want us to be lifeless, tired servants. He wants us to live with zeal and:
Passion
“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!” Isaiah wrote much later. What a difference! Isaiah is reveling in what God is doing in his life.*
Jesus told us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind . . .You shall love your neighbor as yourself”(Matthew 22:37-39). Paul exhorted, “Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord ”(Colossians 3:23). But I am bored, you say. I don’t like my life. I don’t know how to live “heartily.”
None of us do, without God.
That is why we need:
Power
Acts 1:8 promises that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us.
“Most people lead lives of quiet desperation,” Henry David Thoreau once wrote. That is the complete antithesis to the abundant life Jesus promises us. When we commit our lives, God will pour out His Spirit upon us and give us a purpose, a passion, and the power to live as never before.
“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”—Jesus, John 10:10
*Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah 60:1
I encourage you to read the Bible daily, digest it, meditate on it, memorize it, take the words into your heart and mind. Understand it, and you will see a difference in your life as you grow in your relationship with the Lord.
Let us not be like that ill-fated computer genius who attained great knowledge but lacked wisdom, ultimately costing his life! I pray that we can be diligent, mature in our faith and knowledge of God, and able to receive all that He has for us, His beloved sons and daughters.
