The Call

isaiah-and-the-hot-coalLiving in the Spirit
May 26, 2015

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ –Isaiah 6:6-8

From the altar the seraph took a hot coal, too hot to touch, and touched it to Isaiah’s mouth. While we do communicate with body language, our eyes, hand motions, and through the written word, much of our interpersonal relationships are built around talking. When someone is called to God’s service, he or she must choose his or her words wisely.

When I read about Isaiah’s call, I am reminded of Psalm 51:10—Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. The heart is the mercy seat in the language of the Psalms. The Psalms also tell us we need God to help us control the use of our mouths as our brains process what we will say. Psalm 141:3—Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. The writer of the book of James takes an even more strident approach. James 1:26 –If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

If we profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we have been called to God’s service. It is an honor and a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. It is a strong inner impulse that results from accepting the love and grace of God to which we are all compelled to say Here am I; send me!

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Use me as you need me. Here am I; send me! Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.