Here I Go

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Isaiah 6:5–8 (NIV): (5)“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” [6] Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. [7] With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” [8] Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Sometimes a phrase, a moment, or a song from culture helps frame a spiritual truth. For this one, the year was 1995 when rapper Mystikal released his hit song “Here I Go”. There is a line in the song that says, “I heard that you were looking for me. Here I go.” 

That line captures something powerful. It reflects the moment when someone realizes they are being sought, they are being called, and they choose to respond.  At some point in life, everyone faces that kind of moment. There are times when we begin to sense that God might be calling us toward something, or inviting us to step forward in a new way. 

In Isaiah 6, God is looking for someone too.  Before I dig into verses 5-8, it helps to have a little background on Isaiah 6. The chapter begins with the words “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple’’ (Isaiah 6:1). 

To understand the weight of that moment, it helps to know a little about Uzzaiah. Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. He was generally considered a good king. He led Israel’s military into victories over the Philistines and other enemies, and scripture tells us he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:4). However, his story does not end there and his life takes a tragic turn. PLOT TWIST!  

Later in the same chapter that highlights how Uzzaiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, a shift happened.  Scripture tells us after he became powerful, he became prideful and transgressed against God by entering the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense (2 Chronicles 26:16).  Because of this act, God struck him with leprosy, and he lived with that leprosy until the day he died. 

Now, you may ask why is this act so serious that Uzziah is struck with leprosy because of it? Some Bible historians say that Uzziah was in the Temple trying to offer incense on the altar at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, a responsibility reserved  only for the High Priest (Leviticus 16 and 17).  This was not a mistake, it was overstepping a boundary God clearly set.  Uzzaih was so full of pride that he thought he was above God’s law and could do anything he wanted to do. This is why he was struck with leprosy. 

David Guzik, reflecting on this moment in his commentary on Isaiah 6, writes: “So, to say in the year King Uzziah died is to say a lot. It is to say, ‘In the year a great and wise king died.’ But it is also to say, ‘In the year a great and wise king who had a tragic end died.’ Isaiah had great reason to be discouraged and disillusioned at the death of King Uzziah, because a great king had passed away and because his life ended tragically.”

That commentary gives us some insight into Isaiah’s mindset when this vision happens. The nation had lost a long standing king, and the end of his life was complicated and tragic.  Yet even in the middle of that uncertainty, Isaiah sees something that reframes everything. He sees the Lord seated on the throne.  In the midst of everything that was happening, God was still on the throne.  He was still looking for someone to send.

The Hebrew word for “Lord” used in this verse is ʼĂdônây (Adonai), which means Master or Lord. It is the plural of Adon, and Adon derives from the meaning Lord, master, or owner. Adonai appears about 448 times in the Hebrew Scriptures as a reverential address to the one true God. It underscores His absolute authority, covenant faithfulness, and relational nearness. 

Dr. Tony Evans explains it this way: “Since God, Adonai, is the absolute ruler and owner, our response to this name comes through the surrender of submission.” In other words, because Adonai is ruler and Lord seated on the throne, the response is to submit my will and plans to His … my struggles, worries, and triumphs, to Him. You can lay it all before Him and trust Him with it, because He is in control and knows what is best for you.  Since God does not change (Malachi 3:6), and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), the same God who was seated on the throne then is still seated on the throne now. God has not moved. He has not shifted. He IS still in control.  

Now that you have some background let's get back to the main course.  Now many of us who grew up in church are familiar with Isaiah 6:8. It is often quoted and celebrated. Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And Isaiah responds, “Here am I. Send me.”

In many church settings that verse is used to highlight Isaiah’s courage and willingness to answer God’s call. The focus often lands on the phrase “send me.” As I spent time meditating on this passage, something else began to stand out to me.  What stood out was not the “send me” but the “Here I am.” Before Isaiah ever says yes to the assignment, he first says yes to being seen.

Don't get it twisted, Isaiah’s “Here I am"  story doesn’t begin with confidence, it begins with collapse. Remember we just discussed the uncertainty and discouragement and disillusionment with King Uzziah death.   On top of that, standing in the manifest presence of God, Isaiah becomes deeply aware of his own sin, his limitations, and the brokenness of the people around him.  He feels unworthy, unqualified, and undone. Raise your hand if you have ever  felt this way before (**raises my hand**).  Isaiah’s response is raw and honest: “Woe to me… I am ruined.”

The more clearly Isaiah saw God, the more clearly he saw the reality of his own condition. BUT GOD BUT GOD BUT GOD does not leave Isaiah in that place. A seraphim touches Isaiah’s lips with a coal from the altar and declares, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” God addresses Isaiah’s deepest fear not by dismissing it, but by redeeming it. 

Forgiveness and redemption changes everything.   Redemption means that through the blood, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the price has been paid to set you free. We were in bondage, Christ paid the price, and now we are no longer a slave to whatever had us in bondage.  We are free.  Forgiveness, on the other hand, is like a debt being completely canceled. We were guilty, Christ paid our penalty, and now our record is clear.  When we are forgiven by God, we carry NO liability. Imagine every financial debt you owe being wiped away entirely to $0.   That is what forgiveness does for our soul.

What changed was not Isaiah’s past, his personality, or his ability. What changed was his standing. He did not suddenly become worthy as he was already worthy in God’s eyes.  He became forgiven. He became redeemed.  It’s the same with us..  As believers, we are adopted as God’s precious child and are worthy solely because we are His (Ephesians 1:5), not because of what we did or didn’t do.

When you know that you know that you know that you're forgiven and redeemed, something shifts.  You walk differently. You talk differently.  You carry yourself differently.  You can stand tall. You can be bold. You can be courageous.  When you know you're forgiven and redeemed, it gives you confidence that changes how you see yourself, and you don’t  allow anyone to try to hold your past against you or try to disqualify you because of past mistakes, because you understand who you are IS NOT defined by who you were and you’re too focused on who you are becoming.

For Isaiah, forgiveness and redemption gave birth to confidence. Not confidence in himself, but confidence in the God who had redeemed him. Confidence in Yahweh, the covenant keeping God. Confidence in Adonai, Master and Lord.  So when Isaiah says “Here I am,” he is not presenting a perfect version of himself. He is not saying “Here is the fully qualified me.”  He is simply presenting himself honestly before God and saying here is the imperfect me, forgiven me, still being healed me, the broken but redeemed me.

He's saying, I know who I am, and I know where I stand … not in my own righteousness, but in God’s mercy. He is also saying something many of us can relate to: I may not be where I want to be, but I am not where I used to be.

The words “Here I am” are a declaration of identity and a declaration of location.  This notion echoes another moment in Scripture. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, God called out to them, “Where are you?” God was not asking for their physical location. The question pointed to something deeper. Sin disrupted their sense of identity, intimacy, and belonging. 

Sometimes we struggle to step into what God is calling us to because where we are has reshaped who we think we are. This can lead us into an identity crisis. Isaiah declaring  “Here I am” is choosing to stand in forgiveness instead of shame. It is the courage to be fully present before God not because you are flawless or perfect, but because you are forgiven and redeemed. 

Before you ever say, “Send me,” may you first learn to say, “Here I am.” Not the perfect version of yourself, but the version who trusts that God’s mercy is enough to meet you where you are. And that is often where the journey of being sent truly begins.

So the next time you sense God stirring your heart, calling you toward something greater, asking you to step forward in faith, remember this. The most powerful words you may ever say to God are not “send me.” They are simply, “Here I am.”