Day Forty-Two

During this week we dwelling in Isaiah 6 and the call of the prophet. We are specifically examining the pattern of worship found in Isaiah’s encounter which also shapes the way many Christians and churches understand worship.

We are in the midst of exploring six distinct movements in Isaiah 6 that model a flow of worship for us. So far this week we have noted five:

We are invited into God’s presence. (Isaiah 6:1)
We sing praise to God (Isaiah 6:2-4)
We are made aware of our own sinfulness (Isaiah 6:5)
God assures us of his mercy and forgiveness (Isaiah 6:6-7)
We hear the word of the Lord (Isaiah 6:8a)

Today we come to the last of our six movements, and it flows directly from #5:

We respond to the word of the Lord.

When I was a worship pastor, this was one of my favorite parts of the service to plan, because it’s an opportunity to encourage people and “bring home” the word given in the sermon. Having listened to what God is saying to his church, this final movement of worship is an invitation to respond in faith, trust, and surrender, offering ourselves to his kingdom work.

But truth be told, this final movement has two parts to it. You can see them at work in the way Isaiah responds:

“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 6:8 (NIV)

Isaiah does two things in his response. First he offers himself to God in surrender, saying “Here am I.” He has heard the voice of God calling out for someone, and in response Isaiah offers himself. To stand before the Lord and say, “Here am I” is to place ourselves in his hands, trusting that his plan for us is right and good.

But, and I speak from personal experience here, we are sometimes prone to offer ourselves to God with a couple of caveats. We may have heard his word to us, but often we reinterpret it so that we can give ourselves to it in spirit, while ignoring the parts that are inconvenient or even scary.

Notice that Isaiah doesn’t ask God what exactly he’ll be commissioned to do. He doesn’t say, “Hey, God, I’m willing to go. Can you give me an idea of what you’re looking for, and I’ll let you know what parts of it I think will work well given my personality and gifts?” No, it’s not until he has given himself wholly and without reserve that God tells Isaiah the message he will be asked to preach. And it’s not a pleasant one, not in the slightest.

But Isaiah will fulfill his call because all that matters to him is that God needs a messenger. Again, he trusts God’s plan completely. So after he offers himself to God by saying, “Here am I,” he then offers himself to God’s work, saying, “Send me.”

That’s the approach I would take in planning the end of a worship service: after the sermon we would typically sing one reflective song, with a theme of surrender. It was our “Here am I” response to God’s word. Then to close the service we would usually sing a song that conveyed the work we’ve been given to do, our offer of “Send me.” In it we declared our trust that whatever work God had for us, he would give us everything we need to fulfill it.

So in light of this deeper examination of Isaiah’s response, maybe we can tweak our final movement of worship:

We are invited into God’s presence. (Isaiah 6:1)
We sing praise to God (Isaiah 6:2-4)
We are made aware of our own sinfulness (Isaiah 6:5)
God assures us of his mercy and forgiveness (Isaiah 6:6-7)
We hear the word of the Lord (Isaiah 6:8a)
We respond to the word of the Lord in surrender and commitment (Isaiah 6:8b)

As we conclude these six reflections on worship, I hope they’ve conveyed how applicable these movements can be in our own personal walk with God. They are not just for planning Sunday morning services. Isaiah 6 can shape our daily time with the Lord in a way that fills us up and sends us out into the world with renewed understanding of God’s might, mercy, and mission.

For today’s songs, we will attend to both parts of Isaiah’s response. First a reflective song of surrender, then an upbeat declaration of commitment to God’s mission. May these words always reflect our heart’s desire.

Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine
Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne
Take my love, my Lord I pour at Your feet, it's treasure store
Take myself and I will be ever, only, all for Thee
Here am I, all of me, take my life, it's all for Thee

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Where you go, I’ll go
Where you stay, I’ll stay
When you move, I’ll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I’ll love
How you serve I’ll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What disciplines or practices in your life help you keep a posture of surrender? How might you build into your daily walk a reminder to simply be before God saying, “Here am I?”

2) How have you sensed in your life ways that God is calling you into his kingdom work? If it’s not something you’ve spent much time thinking or praying about, spend some time before the Lord offering yourself to his good and perfect plan, knowing that he equips us with everything we need for the work he calls us to do.

3) As you think about these six movements of worship we’ve been examining, how might you seek a more intentional time of worship in your walk with God? What about Isaiah’s call speaks to you and invites you into a deeper reflection on the role worship plays in your life?

4) Spend some time reflecting on this quote by worship leader Gerrit Gustafson:

“If you truly meet God, you will worship; and if you truly worship, others will be drawn to God.”

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.”—Romans 12:1 (TPT)