Introduction

God wants to use us for his kingdom and his mission. For this to happen, we need to shift how we understand ourselves as God’s forgiven children and as God’s people on a mission.

Isaiah 6:1-7

In the eighth century B.C., God called the prophet Isaiah to lead God’s people and serve as God’s prophet to Israel during a very trying time for his nation.

Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III had just invaded the land, including the area where Isaiah and the people of Israel lived, so they were experiencing significant political uncertainty. Financial corruption, social injustice, and apathy toward the things of God were creating internal problems for the people of Israel. In addition, Isaiah, like each of us, also had his own personal struggles, doubts, fears, and limitations that led him to question God’s call.

God was asking Isaiah to do the following: share God’s word with all the people, call the nation to repent for their sins of idolatry and injustice, risk his life by publicly challenging the kings of Israel in their leadership of the country, and commit to standing in the gap for his people by constantly praying for them and loving them regardless of the outcome.

In order for Isaiah to be used by God to preach this message, he had to undergo a major shift in his own life. He had to be open to God building up new things in his faith and removing obstacles that hindered him from freely serving God. He had to experience a significant shift in the way he sensed God could actually use someone like him.

We’re going to look at these shifts and see how they might speak to changes God wants to make in us in order to use us for his good purposes in our world.

Shift From Incapable to Capable

Read Isaiah 6:1-4. Imagine yourself in Isaiah’s sandals. How would you react to such a vision?

Now, read Isaiah 6:5. Why do you think Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me!”

As amazing as the vision was, it forced Isaiah to deal with the reality of his limitations, shortcomings, and inadequacies (cf. Rom 3:23). Isaiah suddenly realized that his broken standards of religion, justice, and community were not acceptable to God. He was admitting that he was overwhelmed by how incapable he was in his own strength to be an example to his people. How frequently do you observe Christians lead from this posture of humility?

While many of us do need to learn this humble posture from Isaiah, God did not want Isaiah to stay in that place for long. God wanted him to shift from focusing on his weakness and sin to being available for God’s work. Only God’s forgiveness makes that possible.

Read Isaiah 6:6-7. How did the angel’s act shift Isaiah’s perspective?

Isaiah shifted his view from relying on his own fallen abilities to seeing that God had made him acceptable in his sight. By seeing himself as forgiven by God, Isaiah was able to shift how he sensed God wanting to use him.

• Have you (or someone you know) ever tried to do something new and adventurous with an “I can’t” attitude? How did that affect your morale and energy to actually accomplish the task?

• What are some ways the “woe is me!” attitude can become unhealthy and hinder us from being used by God?

• What are some ways that humbly remembering God’s forgiveness can inspire us to serve?

Shift From Expendable to Valuable

Have you ever been told: “God the Creator of the universe could reveal his glory without me,” or “God doesn’t need me in order to accomplish his will”?

While such statements do contain some truth, we should be careful not to allow them to shape the way we live out our mission for God. Although they may sound pious, they can actually become obstacles to our participation in God’s work rather than motivating us to serve him. In fact, none of us is expendable or insignificant to God’s plan for the world.

After his experience of receiving forgiveness, Isaiah heard a voice that challenged this notion that he was not needed by God: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8). Here, God was calling Isaiah to be his spokesperson.

The Bible reveals that God really means it when he tells us that he has created us for a purpose in our world:

• God asked us to be a blessing to all other people groups in the world (Genesis 12:3).

• God asked us to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6).

• God asked us to declare peace and the good news that he reigns (Isaiah 52:7).

• Jesus told us that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Mt 5:13-16).

• Jesus told us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

• Jesus told us, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).

• We are his “handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

Could God have created a world where he didn’t operate through humans? Yes, he could have, but the Scriptures tell us that he didn’t. He designed a world where we participate in bringing his kingdom through men and women submitting to his Holy Spirit.

If we are going to shift the way we see God using us, we need to stop seeing ourselves as insignificant to God’s kingdom. We need to shift our thoughts from “I’m not really that important to God’s overall mission” to, “God has uniquely gifted and invited me to be a vital part of his redemptive mission in the world.” We need to shift our view of ourselves from “expendable” toward extremely “valuable” to the One who called us “the very people I have created” (Isaiah 57:16).

Reflection

1. Identify any behaviors, habits, or mindsets that form obstacles and distractions for you as you seek to serve God.

2. Share a story where you have sensed God asking, “Who will go?” in some area of your local church, family, work, community, or world.

3. Consider how God might be inviting you to join him in sharing his love and reconciliation with others. What role might your passions, talents, and spiritual gifts play in responding to God’s call?