AMY, Isaiah said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal…And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; YOUR INIQUITY IS TAKEN AWAY, And your sin purged.” 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.” (Isa. 6:5-8) In the 1974 Washington State Convention AMY, I was in a skit playing Isaiah. The young woman playing the angel was not in the practices because she was in California. The first time I met her was as we performed the skit, imagine my surprise to see a VERY BEAUTIFUL INDEED, “angel”, Deborah Foster. This is the very woman GOD GAVE TO ME to be my wife. On March 1, 1975 we were married.
Now back to Isaiah, he was called to deliver a hard message of accountability, one folks refused. And the kicker AMY? Isaiah knew he and the message would be rejected. Isaiah pondered the vision. The enormity of it caused him to consider his own sin, a sense of doom covering his thoughts. After all, how could a sinful person see the perfect, sinless God and survive? During Isaiah’s time as the prophet of Israel, the Israelites lived life knee-deep in the muck and mire of their sin and rebellious acts. THEY MOCKED the “Holy One of Israel,” simply failing to grasp the severity of their unrighteous and foolish decisions. To top it off, they simply DIDN’T CARE! And the Lord said, “Go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing. HARDEN THE HEARTS of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.” (Isa. 6:9-10)
The hope found with Almighty God justified Isaiah’s journey. Hope through Jesus assures ours today. The slight hint of even ONE PERSON TURNING FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS AND TOWARD GOD, the true giver of hope, MAKES EVERY BIT WORTH SHARING.
-Bill Stockham