Isaiah 6:8
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!”
Isaiah has a most remarkable vision described in this passage of scripture. In the vision, Isaiah finds himself in the presence of God seated on his throne with angels whirling about Him overhead. It must have been shocking for Isaiah as he struggled with the magnificent sight before him. His words at this astonishing image are found in verse 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.” When we stand in the presence of God, we can’t help but see how unclean we are; how unworthy we are.
God asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” It is much too easy for us to say, “Not me Lord, I am way too busy,” “Not me, Lord, I am way too young or way too old,” “Not me, Lord, I am not qualified,” “Not me, Lord, I have previous obligations,” “Not me, Lord, I’ve already done my part.” We need to ask ourselves how we can stand in the presence of God, look up into His magnificence and say, “I haven’t got the time, energy, or the willpower to change my way of life right now.” Can we say that while looking at the battered body of Christ on the cross? Can we say that looking into the empty tomb? Can we say that when we know that the Holy Spirit is prodding us forward and seeking commitment from us?
We are all guilty of doing that. There are times when God tells us to zig, but we prefer to zag. There are times when God asks us to step out of our comfort zone, when all we really want is to sit in our easy chair. Many of us can’t manage to get out of bed on Sunday morning for church, much less follow Isaiah’s example and cry out, “Here am I. Send me!” Are we praying so that we are in tune with what God is asking of us? My prayer is that we are all able to answer, “Send me”, when God calls. Our purpose should always be His purpose.