January 1: Isaiah 6:1-13
The Backward View
Please use this as an aid to your daily prayers. Do not use it as a substitute for prayer, and do not let it become a distraction from prayer. It is provided as a guide to help prepare you for your prayer time.
The Author
Isaiah 6 is usually referred to as Isaiah’s call. The main question about this call is where it is placed. There have been five chapters of prophecy confronting Judah with its sinful condition and pleading with them to repent. Now Isaiah records his call, which forms the basis of his ministry as a prophet. This is no mistake. The first five chapters make the contrast between the condition of God’s people and the character of their God all the more striking. It is a moving account of Isaiah’s encounter with the living God.
It is important to note the context of this call. The account of Isaiah’s call refers to Uzziah’s death, providing a marker for dating the call of Isaiah at approximately around 740 BC. We find accounts of Uzziah’s (or Azariah’s) reign in 2 Kings 14:21-22, 15:1-3 and 2 Chronicles 26:1-23. His reign was one of prosperity both in terms of military conquest and agricultural development. However, at the height of his rule, his prosperity became his downfall. It is recorded:
“But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” (2 Chronicles 26:16, NKJV)
Isaiah had observed the consequences of unauthorized access to God’s holy space and profaned attempts to serve Him in pride and vanity. Uzziah paid dearly for his sin. He remained a leper for the rest of his life, cut off from the house of the Lord and living in seclusion. It seems that Jotham, his son, reigned in his place. The son “did what was right in the sight of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 27:2) but that did not affect the attitude of the people, for “still the people acted corruptly” (2 Chronicles 27:2). It seems that the times of prosperity had the effect of lulling the people into selfish pride and idolatry.
APPLICATION
God works in the circumstances of life, preparing us to seek Him and to receive a fresh vision of His nature and glory. We can readily identify with the times of Isaiah. We have experienced unprecedented prosperity, which has had the effect of lulling people into complacency, compromise, selfish pride and idolatry (the sin of replacing God with anything else as our ultimate authority). Many of us long to gain a fresh vision of the glory of God. We are longing for God to bring times of refreshing upon us.
Do you think that the timing of Isaiah’s call may have been conditioned by his circumstances?
What circumstances might God be using in your life right now to prepare you to gain a greater vision of His character and holiness?
Prosperity can be a good thing when we receive God’s blessings with humility and gratitude, but when we become cocky and self-sufficient, thinking that we have these blessings because of our efforts, we are teetering on destruction (“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”—Proverbs 16:18).
Have you fallen prey to taking God’s blessings for granted?
Adversity can serve as a megaphone in our lives.
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains.It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (C.S. Lewis).
Are there nagging problems, an insurmountable obstacle, unmet needs, or some other difficult, unrelenting situation you are facing that God may be using to get your attention?
A spiritual void demands to be filled. You may be sensing that you are just going through the motions, living on autopilot, and getting nowhere.
Is there a nagging sense of spiritual dullness or a deep longing for more fulfillment in life?
Distraction can often sidetrack us from what is important in life. As Luke records Jesus’ words, we are “choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life” and so our lives become unfruitful (Luke 8:14). As the distractions of life wear on us, we become weary and restless. We know there has to be more to life, but we don’t know how to stop the constant barrage of activities that keep coming.
Is God trying to get your attention through the feeling of being overwhelmed?
Whatever the circumstances in your life, now is the time to ask God what He is using and how He is working to get your attention refocused on His glory, His holiness, His character. His will, His work, His way should be our greatest desire, as we are taught to pray “Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.”
PRAYER
Dear Father,
I am thankful that my life and my circumstances are in Your control. You constantly watch over me. You are my shield, my fortress, and my God in Whom I place my complete trust. When I recall the ways that You have worked to deliver me and help me in the past, I gain a renewed confidence in your providential care.
Father, I acknowledge Your Lordship in my life. I want to understand how You are leading and teaching me in my present circumstances. I want to hear Your voice and know what You want me to know, say and do. My heart cries out to You in this present moment. I long to draw near in full assurance of faith. I seek You with my whole heart. You have promised to reveal Yourself to those who earnestly seek You with their whole heart.
God of all comfort, please bring comfort to me in my time of trouble. There is no circumstance beyond your power, no person beyond your love. I ask that I would know your comforting presence. Use me, Lord, to comfort others with the comfort I have received from you. May your peace overflow in my life and bless those around me.
NOTE: This prayer is offered as a guide. Offer these words, add to them, or substitute your own. Seek to develop a deeper awareness of how God is working in your present circumstances.
REVDANS 