A Wake-Up Call

March 1, 2006 - Have you ever slept through your alarm—or found out, too late, that it didn't go off because you had set it for p.m. instead of a.m.?

by Anne Graham Lotz

Without a doubt, I have learned that I need actual wake-up calls when I'm traveling! But from time to time, I also need spiritual wake-up calls. The daily routine of responsibilities, the never-ending challenge of deadlines, the persistent pressure of problems, and the hectic pace of life tend to preoccupy my thoughts and time with the urgency of the moment. If I'm not careful, I may miss something vitally important that God has for me—something He may want me to see or do—some blessing He wants to give me or wants me to pass along to someone else.

And so He gives me a wake-up call. The call is usually disguised as a crisis in my life or in my spirit that plunges me to my knees, where He opens my eyes ...

Read Isaiah 6:1-8

Open Your Eyes
Isaiah 6:1-4

Describe the wake-up call that opened Isaiah's eyes in Isaiah 6:1. How do you think Isaiah was affected by Uzziah's death emotionally? Spiritually?

When Isaiah opened his eyes, who or what specifically did he see? Compare Isaiah 6:1,4 with John 12:41.

Put into your own words each phrase that describes the Lord in Isaiah 6:1-3.

Match a phrase from Isaiah 6:1-3 with the following verses: Ezekiel 1:25-28; Revelation 4:2, 5:13; Genesis 14:19-20; Numbers 24:16; Job 22:12; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Exodus 15:1; Acts 5:31; Ephesians 4:8; Revelation 4:8; 1 Peter 1:15-16.

Do you think Isaiah would have opened his eyes if he had not had the wake-up call?

What has God allowed in your life that could be His wake-up call to you? What difference has it made in your life?

Rend Your Heart
Isaiah 6:5

Give the main points of Isaiah's sermon from Isaiah 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22. To whom was he speaking?

How is Isaiah's own response to seeing the Lord similar in Isaiah 6:5 to his repeated condemnation of others in 5:8-22? How is it different?

Give phrases from the following verses that indicate a similar response to Isaiah's: Job 42:5-6, Luke 5:4-8, Revelation 1:17, Ephesians 5:13-14.

How is this response affirmed in Psalm 51:17? Isaiah 57:15? 2 Corinthians 7:8-11? Revelation 3:19?

What do you think is meant by rending your heart? Is it an option? See Joel 2:12-13, Matthew 4:17, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19.

Use the following references to pinpoint sin that you need to repent of in your own life: Romans 1:21, Hebrews 3:19, Matthew 23:28, 1 John 2:16, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Corinthians 3:3, Malachi 3:8.

Is anyone exempt from the need to repent? Read James 2:10, 4:17; Romans 3:10, 23; 2 Peter 3:9.

When was the last time that you wept in grief over your own sin?

Return to the Cross
Isaiah 6:6-7

Since a burning coal applied to the lips would be very painful, what could this represent? See John 16:8, Hebrews 12:11, Psalm 32:3-5.

What did the altar illustrate in Isaiah 6:6? See Romans 3:24-25; Hebrews 9:14, 9:22; 1 John 1:9.

What hope does God offer ruined sinners like Isaiah? See Isaiah 1:18. To sinners like you and me? See Acts 10:43, 26:18; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14; Romans 8:1.

What is hindering you from returning to the Cross and repenting of your sin? Do it now.

Just Say Yes
Isaiah 6:8

What was the connection between Isaiah's repentance and his experience in Isaiah 6:8?

Read Isaiah 6:8; Nehemiah 1:1-11; Exodus 3:1-10; Luke 5:4-11; John 21:16-19; Acts 9:1-6, 13:2. How were these calls of God the same? How were they different?

What is your calling, according to the following
Scriptures? Romans 1:6, 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1:9, 7:15; Galatians 5:13; Philippians 3:14; Colossians 3:15;
1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9, 2:20-21,
3:9; Revelation 1:5-6, 17:14; John 21:19-22.

How does your response to God's call compare with Isaiah's in Isaiah 6:8? Simon Peter's in Luke 5:10-11? Matthew's (or Levi's) in Luke 5:27-28?

Isaiah responded to God's wake-up call by opening his eyes, rending his heart and committing his life to serve God. He went on to become the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.

Do you yearn for a life of significance? Do you long to make a difference in your world? Is your heart broken for those who are stepping into eternity ... lost forever? Are you grieved for the church that has a "form of godliness" but denies God's power?

Then this is your wake-up call. Open your eyes! Rend your heart! Return to the Cross! Say "Yes" to God.