Friday, August 16, 2013

Here Am I! Send Me.


And I heard the voice of the Lord
saying, “Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us?” Then I said, “Here
am I! Send me.”
                      Isaiah 6:8 ESV 

     Many years ago, this Scripture impacted my life. Time after time I read and re-read the chapter. While fascinated with the description of the throne room of God, something always drew me back to verse eight and Isaiah’s response to the Holy Us.

     Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord changed him forever, and over the years this verse has been a lighthouse for my soul. Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, and when he recognized who God is, he did not have to be asked by God to go. Isaiah volunteered! Touched by God, Isaiah recognized his own uncleanness. He worshipped God!

     The Hebrew word for send in this verse means to send away, thrust out, stretched out, set free, release! When Isaiah emphatically said, “Send me” the implications ranged from being thrust out into a world that had turned its back on God to the soul’s release and freedom from the bondage of sin.

     In Isaiah’s encounter with the living God, he not only recognized his own uncleanness but that of his countrymen. In verse five he responded, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

     Isaiah saw the Lord. Isaiah saw his own condition. Isaiah saw the need of those around him. When God asked, “Who shall I send…?” Isaiah knew the answer and responded quickly.

     When I truly grasped this Scripture, I too faced my own sin and need to respond to God’s question. I became convinced that once we recognize the Almighty, we come face to face with our own selfish desires and are forced to decide—God or me! Some make an unconscious decision by continuing to go through life just letting life happen. Others make a conscious decision to be sent out, stretched out—released from selfish desires into a life lived for the glory of God.

     The wonderful thing about our Lord is that it is never too late to make that decision. Whether we are five or one hundred and five, He desires our service. He does not ask for perfection! He does not ask for high intelligence or a Doctorate in Theology. He does not ask for a diagram of our service plan. All He asks is that we first recognize our own need, then the need of those around us and finally that we have a willing heart—one that is ready to love, trust and obey Him.

     He may send you across continents, to another state, to a different city or town. Or, He may send you across the street to a neighbor in need. He may send you to sit by a loved one in a hospital room. He may send you to a bed of affliction and bring others to your bedside. But I can promise you this—wherever He sends and you follow, it will be a life well lived!

     As I pray for you today, pray for me, as together we hear our Lord and we answer, “Here am I! Send me.”

 ©JP 2013

    

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