Reading from the
Book of Isaiah 6:1-9
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.2 Above
it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered
his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.5 Then
said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes
have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Before God can use us, He needs to cleanse us. Isaiah realized he had a sinful, unclean mouth that needed to be dealt with. Isaiah's heart cried for change and God sent help.
The coming forward of the seraphim with a coal of fire is recorded in verse 6 as an instantaneous happening, but answers may not always come so quickly to us. We would all prefer miraculous deliverance, but most of the time the Lord puts us through a cleansing process.
God will always look for someone who has a perfect heart toward Him, not necessarily someone who has a perfect "performance" before Him. When the Lord has the heart, He can always change the behavior. This truth should encourage those of us who want to be used by God, but who often feel that we just have too many flaws. We come to Him as we are, and He molds and makes us into vessels fit for His use. God uses "cracked pots."
