A FEARFUL CALLING
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Across the Bible’s story, many of the leaders, prophets, parents-to-be, and apostles were called to their specific roles in the context of some kind of revelation of God. These experiences were attention-grabbing, transformative, and terrifying.
This moment of revelation and calling came to the soon-to-be prophet Isaiah in the year King Uzziah died—about 740 B.C. He “saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). Above Him, angels flew on multiple wings, shouting their praises to God repeatedly and so loud that it shook the building. Isaiah responded in a way that we can regard only as entirely understandable—he cried out in fear. “Revelation occurs against the will of the prophet. It is not a favor to him, but a burden of terror. To Isaiah the perception of God is a venture fraught with shock, peril, and dismay, something which is more than his soul can bear.”* When God asked specific people to take on difficult assignments, He often gave them a glimpse of His glory and power by which to remember their calling.
This assured those who were called of His ability to uphold and guide them whatever circumstances they might face, and it also had the intended side-effect of reminding them of their sinfulness and unworthiness of His gracious attention.
It was a necessary humility that fitted them for their task, causing them to rely on God even more and reminding them that, while they had an important role to play, God’s larger plan was not primarily about them. This experience moved Isaiah past his initial fear to his humble response to God’s call: “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
* Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets (New York: Harper Perennial, 2001), 458.
