By Rev. Dr. Dezo Schreiner
Have you ever been in the middle of something important, really important, and your phone starts ringing? You can’t pick it up. And then it rings again. And again. And again.
Instead of feeling honored, you feel frustrated. This can’t wait? you think. I’m not ready right now.
That image has stayed with me because it captures something essential about how God often works. God’s call rarely waits for us to feel prepared. It rarely comes when everything is settled, quiet, and under control.
That’s exactly what we see in Isaiah 6, one of the clearest stories in Scripture about God’s calling, faithful service, and what it means to say yes when we feel unready.
A Call in a Time of Instability
Isaiah’s vision begins with a specific historical moment: “In the year that King Uzziah died.” That detail matters. King Uzziah’s reign had brought stability and success to Judah. His death marked uncertainty, vulnerability, and transition.
It is precisely then, when things are falling apart that Isaiah encounters God.
Earthly thrones are shaken, but Isaiah sees the true King still seated, high and lofty. God’s presence fills the temple. Seraphim surrounds the throne, crying out, “Holy, holy, holy.” The thresholds shake. Smoke fills the room.
This is not a calm worship moment. It is a destabilizing encounter with divine reality.
And Isaiah’s response is not confidence. It is honesty.
“Woe is me! I am undone. Who am I?”
Confronted with God’s holiness, Isaiah becomes painfully aware of his own limitations and the brokenness of the community he represents. He confesses that he has “unclean lips”--a striking admission for someone whose calling will be to speak God’s word.
That response feels deeply familiar to me.
Feeling Undone Is Part of the Call
When I received my own call to ministry, I didn’t feel ready. I said to God, “Who am I? You know where I come from. What do I really have to offer?”
And if I’m honest, that feeling has never fully gone away. Every time God has called me into something new, I have felt more undone than prepared.
Many of us know that feeling. God may not be calling you to preach, but perhaps you’ve felt called to step into leadership, to serve, to speak up, to reconcile a relationship, to join a ministry, or to do something that feels bigger than your confidence.
“I don’t know enough.”
“I’m not qualified.”
“I already have too much on my plate.”
Isaiah’s story reminds us that confession comes before calling–but grace comes before courage.
Grace Before the Yes
After Isaiah confesses his unworthiness, God does not argue with him. God acts. A seraph touches Isaiah’s lips with a live coal from the altar and declares that his guilt is removed.
Sometimes what God removes from us is not sin alone. Sometimes it is fear. Sometimes it is self-doubt. Sometimes it is the lie that we are not enough.
Only after confession and cleansing does the question come:
“Whom shall I send?”
And Isaiah responds–not with a plan, not with guarantees, not with confidence–but with availability:
“Here am I. Send me.”
That response is not about Isaiah’s ability. It is about trusting God’s sufficiency.
The Call Does Not Promise Results
Isaiah says yes without knowing how difficult the assignment will be. In fact, his message will be resisted and misunderstood. The call does not promise success. It does not promise comfort.
What the call requires is faithfulness.
We live in a moment marked by instability–socially, politically, and spiritually. Trusted structures fail. Leaders pass from the scene. Certainty erodes. And yet Isaiah 6 reminds us that God’s sovereignty does not fluctuate with human circumstances.
God is still enthroned.
God’s holiness still fills the earth.
God is still calling.
To say “Here am I, send me” is to stop waiting for perfect clarity and start trusting God more than outcomes. It is to move from encounter, to humility, to cleansing, to response.
A Call for All of Us
God’s call is not limited to prophets or clergy. It is extended to all who have encountered God’s grace.
That call may take many forms:
ministry, advocacy, reconciliation, justice work, daily faithfulness in unseen places.
To say yes today is not just to offer availability, it is to offer trust. Trust that God’s grace is sufficient. Trust that God’s presence goes with us. Trust that obedience matters, even when outcomes are uncertain.
I believe God is calling this beloved community of First Baptist Church of Kansas City to something meaningful in this next season. I don’t know exactly what it is yet. But I trust that God will reveal it, just as God did with Isaiah.
The call does not wait for perfect conditions.
It waits only for willing hearts.
So I ask myself, and I ask you:
Are we ready to answer?
Are our hearts willing?
Amen.
Summary: Key Questions & Answers
What is “The Call That Does Not Wait”?
It is the idea that God often calls people in moments of uncertainty, not when they feel prepared or confident.
What does Isaiah 6 teach about God’s calling?
Isaiah shows a pattern of encounter with God, honest confession, divine grace, and faithful response.
Does God call only pastors or prophets?
No. God’s call is extended to all who have experienced God’s grace, in many forms of service and faithfulness.
Does answering God’s call guarantee success?
No. The call promises God’s presence, not easy outcomes. It requires faithfulness rather than certainty.
What does it mean to say “Here am I, send me” today?
It means offering trust and availability to God, even when we feel unqualified or unsure.
How does this message apply to our current world?
In times of instability, Isaiah 6 reminds us that God is still sovereign, still holy, and still calling people to faithful service.