Verse of the Day for May 8

The order in this chapter is easy to miss. First the coal touches Isaiah's lips and his sin is purged. Only then does he hear the voice asking Whom shall I send.

God does not issue a command. He asks a question into the room, as if he is waiting to see who will answer. Isaiah, freshly forgiven, answers before he knows the assignment. Here am I; send me.

Then comes verse nine, and the assignment is hard. Go and speak to people who will hear and not understand. Isaiah's clarity was never about outcomes. It was about who had sent him.

When we ask God for clarity we usually mean a map with the ending marked in red. What Isaiah received was simpler than a map. He knew he was forgiven, and he knew who was speaking. That was enough to go.

If you are lying awake asking which way to turn, start where Isaiah started. Let yourself be forgiven first. The question of sending sounds very different to someone whose lips have just been touched.

Forgiveness tends to come before assignment, not after it.

You can say Here am I without knowing every detail of where.