Isaiah was a man with unclean lips who lived among people with unclean lips. He was no better than anyone else. In a vision, he stood before the LORD Almighty, face-to-face, and received grace and atonement of sins. He accepted God's grace and God's call to deliver a message of judgment as well as hope to his people. When we expect God's wrath, he surprisingly extends to us grace and calling.

God's purpose is not to make people blind to his ways but to help people see their real problem. They need, not an outward, but an inward transformation. We need to come to God to open our spiritual eyes and ears, soften our calloused hearts, and transform our fixed mindsets. This is not like a simple tune-up, but a rebirth, even for us who claim to be God's servants. Although their land would be ruined and laid waste, God would restore the land by a holy seed of hope amidst the rubble.


Application: Lord, I am scared to be judged and condemned in my shame and disgrace, but you have the power to restore and heal me as a new creation.
One Word: Turn and be healed.