Where Calling Happens

How do you know what God has called you to do? Perhaps you need to pay more attention to what's missing around you. 

Isaiah 6 is the account of Isaiah's calling:

Isaiah 6:1 (ESV) In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

The context here is the death of Uzziah, a righteous king who was skillful in advancing the nation's national security interests. The Chronicler records his contributions to Israel's prosperity and defense:

2 Chronicles 26:14–15 (ESV) And Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

Earlier in that chapter, Chronicles records this:

2 Chronicles 26:7 (ESV) God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal and against the Meunites.

Help from God was a key part of Uzziah's legacy. But it was his upbringing that made the difference:

2 Chronicles 26:5 (ESV) He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

Now in Isaiah 6, this great and godly king is dead. Where would Israel's future fall? It would be in the midst of that question the prophet would be called to serve. His testimony here illustrates how that moment of sadness turned into a moment of destiny. 

Our purpose is rarely found in the shadow of the purpose of others. We cannot be them nor should we try. Our purpose is discovered when there's a vacuum in the world. When the things we can bring to the table are missing. God calls us in the midst of the questions that astound us.

I think of my own calling to be a minister of the Gospel. I was raised in a church led by Pastors who did not study the Word properly nor lead God's people to God's truth effectively. In the rare moments when I experienced diligent exposition of the Word, something came alive inside me. I was given the gift of a void. I saw what was lacking and I knew God had called me to do something about it. 

Isaiah steps up when Uzziah is taken out. The ministry he was called to was birthed in the misery he lived through. The same is true for you. 

Yet how is this ministry/calling birthed? By seeing the Lord as the true King on the true throne filling the temple. Moreover, the true King is surrounded by heavenly bodies capable of supernatural work. 

Isaiah 6:2 (ESV) Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Notice the focus of the angels. They worship the true King! They draw Isaiah's attention to where it belongs - God in His glory. 

Isaiah 6:3–4 (ESV) And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

God's presence and worship shake the foundations of the most important building in Isaiah's time - the Temple. At that moment Isaiah learned what every one of us needs to learn if we are going to succeed in God's calling for us. He is in charge, He is enough, and He is our ultimate aim. When those things are true of us, nothing can stop us.