As a kid I loved the Wizard of Oz. I mean who didn't. It had everything you could ask for in a movie. It had a great heroine, Dorothy, the lovable sidekicks, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion, a great bad guy, the Wicked Witch, and of course the all "powerful" Wizard of Oz. I will admit the flying monkeys scared the jeepers out of me!! You all know the story, and shame on you if you don't. Dorothy travels to Oz to get help from the wizard, and once they finally get to Oz, the Wizard uses them to defeat the Wicked Witch. When they return to get their wishes granted they find out that the "wizard" is just a strange short man with an awesome mustache behind a curtain.
Fortunately it was all a dream.
When I read the chapter I thought of the Wizard of Oz. I thought to myself, Isaiah wasn't seeing a God that was made up or make believe. He wasn't seeing this short guy behind a curtain creating special effects to arouse this emotion in Isaiah. No, Isaiah was in the presence of God Almighty. In these times a Kings train of his robe was a sign of his power. Isaiah says in verse 1, that the train of His robe filled the temple!! Isaiah was witnessing the awe inspiring power of a real God!
So, when God asked, "Whom shal I send?" in verse 8, God wasn't asking Isaiah to do something that He himself couldn't take care of or didn't have the power to change on His own. In fact it's just the opposite. Isaiah was witnessing a God so powerful that the angels cried, "Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty!" What God was doing in verse 8 was engaging Isaiah to be apart of His story, and Isaiah accepted the challenge.
What the 180 has done for me is reinforced the fact that God a) is in control and b) He wants to engage in His story. He wants us as Christ followers is to get in the game and be apart of this bigger picture called the Kingdom of God. As Christ followers we have the reassurance that we will be lead by a Holy and powerful King who sits on a powerful throne, and not some make believe false god that sits behind a curtain and blow smoke.
John
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I think it's cool that the worship pastor wrote this particular entry because today's reading made me sing THREE different songs:
ReplyDelete"I See The Lord" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WtNJ-onVQY&feature=related
"Glory" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9FxiFlUXfw
and "Here I Am Lord" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcxOkht8w7c&feature=related
Sort of funny, Audrey. Before I read your post my mind went right to a song by Brian Doerksen called "Here Am I".
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH8X9RnMWyQ
It so has that 1990's music feel to it but I always loved that song.
Absolutely love this, John. I want in the game.
ReplyDelete