Encountering God: How Saying Yes to God Can Change Your Life

Life-changing moments often come when we least expect them. Sometimes it’s a comment from a teacher, a decision to take a job, or saying yes to a relationship. For the prophet Isaiah, it was an unexpected encounter with God that completely altered the trajectory of his life.

In Isaiah chapter 6, we find one of the most famous passages in the Bible - Isaiah’s vision of God and his subsequent calling into ministry. This wasn’t just a historical event; it’s an invitation that extends to each of us today.

When Life Happens: The Context of Isaiah’s Encounter

Isaiah’s encounter with God begins with these simple words: “In the year that King Uzziah died.” This seemingly mundane detail actually reveals a nation in crisis. King Uzziah had ruled Judah for 50 years as a good reformer king who called people back to worshiping the living God.

With his death in 640 BC, everything was falling apart. The Assyrian empire was threatening with their shock and awe tactics, displaying the heads of victims on spears to terrorize the people they were conquering. The nation was broken, shipwrecked, and in an uproar without a king.

Yet in these difficult circumstances, Isaiah decided to go to worship. And that’s where everything changed.

What Does It Mean to Truly See God?

“I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted. The train of his robe filled the temple.” - Isaiah 6:1

Isaiah had probably been to the temple hundreds of times before. Some scholars believe he may have even worked there. The last person he expected to see was God Himself. Yet God gave Isaiah this vision of true reality.

The “train” or hem of God’s robe filled the entire temple. If just the hem of His robe filled the temple, how vast must His throne be, let alone God Himself? Words fail to describe the greatness of this God.

In this moment, Isaiah moved from knowing about God to knowing God. This is the difference between religion and relationship. As Christians, Jesus died so we could have access to God - not just to do religious activities, but to know Him personally.

What Is the Holiness of God?

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” - Isaiah 6:3

The seraphim (angels) covered their eyes with two wings because they couldn’t even look directly at God. They kept repeating “holy, holy holy” because they had no better word to describe Him.

The holiness of God isn’t just about moral excellence. It encompasses His incredible generosity, unbelievable justice, bottomless grace, trustworthiness in life and death, love, peace, omnipotence, mercy, self-existence, creativity, beauty, and more. When all these attributes come together, the result is blinding - like when all colors of the spectrum combine into pure light.

God is not a “grandpa in the sky” who just wants everyone to have a good time. He’s not our “buddy in heaven.” He is the Creator of vast interstellar space. If we think anything less of God than this, we are dead wrong.

How Does Encountering God’s Holiness Change Us?

“Woe to me! 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.” - Isaiah 6:5

When Isaiah saw God’s holiness, he didn’t say, “Cool vision, God!” He cried out, “Woe is me! I am ruined!” The vision turned his eyes from outward to inward, revealing his own sinfulness.

It’s crazy to think we could ever serve God until we come to the end of ourselves. Most of the time, we want God to serve us - “Bless me, help me with this relationship” - as if God is trailing after us like some lovesick puppy instead of us following Him.

Isaiah realized that the sin he had been proclaiming against the nation was also in himself. There was no “holier than thou” attitude. The sin that’s out there is also in each of us.

How Does God Respond to Our Brokenness?

“With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” - Isaiah 6:7

Isaiah’s greatest fear was his unworthiness, his sin. And that became the very place God showed His mercy. One of the seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with a coal from the altar, cleansing him.

This is why we come to church week after week - to hear of God’s mercy and carry it home into our work and relationships. We need this great relief of God’s grace in our lives, and so do those around us.

What Does God’s Call Look Like?

“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!’” - Isaiah 6:8

God didn’t specifically ask Isaiah this question. He was speaking generally, perhaps to the angels. But Isaiah spoke up: “Here am I. Send me!”

This is the moment that can change the trajectory of your life. Who will reach the people at your workplace? Who will reach the people in your family? Despite knowing our faults and sins, when we see God, we can respond, “Here am I. Send me.”

Is Following God’s Call Always Easy?

What follows Isaiah's enthusiastic response isn't exactly encouraging. God essentially tells him that the people won't listen, their hearts will be calloused, and the cities will be ruined. Not exactly a pep talk before starting ministry!

But notice the order: Isaiah sees God's holiness, experiences God's grace, and then responds to the call. This is the pattern of discipleship for stepping into your life in Christ.

Isaiah didn't clean himself up first - God cleansed him and then called him. You don't have to be "clean" to show up at church. Everyone is welcome. God takes broken things and makes them better than you know.

Is There Hope When God’s Call Seems Difficult?

"Though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste... So the holy seed will be the stump in the land." - Isaiah 6:13

Even in this difficult call, God gives hope. The "holy seed" is the stump in the land - pointing to the remnant of Israelites who would respond, return, and rebuild. Ultimately, this points to Jesus, the Messiah who would bring hope, salvation, and new life.

Today, that hope is in you through the Spirit of God, so you can carry His life into your home, workplace, and community.

Life Application

Isaiah's story gives us a three-step pattern for our own lives:

Look up - Fix your eyes on a holy God who is bigger than your circumstances and the news cycle.

Look in - Be honest about your sin, but don't stop there. Receive God's grace in you, not just in the religion around you.

Look out - Say yes to God's call, even if it's hard.

You don't have to over-spiritualize your call. Missionary Elizabeth Elliot, after losing her husband to the very people they were trying to reach, had four simple words: "Do the next thing." Mow the lawn. Do the dishes. Visit a neighbor. Memorize scripture. Call a friend who needs encouragement.

When you take life in little increments, especially during difficult times, you build purpose through tiny successes. Before you know it, you've gotten through that week.

Questions to Consider:

• Have you had a life-altering encounter with God? If not, what might be holding you back from truly seeing Him?

• Where in your life do you need to be honest about your condition before God?

• What would saying "Here am I, send me" look like in your current season of life?

• What is the "next thing" God is calling you to do this week?

Remember, if you're facing hard things, the King is still on the throne. Do the next thing.