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)
Isaiah’s experience in the Temple was frightening. There was a sense that God was pure, holy and immense while people were impure, unclean and small. To encounter God was a big deal and not one to be done without proper preparation. To meet God unprepared was dangerous and could cost you your life.
But by the end of the encounter, Isaiah has not only survived but also sensed God calling him to a special role in God’s work. Isaiah agrees to go with the simple response, “Here am I; send me!” And the ministry of one of Israel’s great prophets begins.
In Christ, encountering God is a lot less terrifying than it was for Isaiah. In fact, the promise of our baptism is that God makes us a covenant with us: wherever we go and whatever we do, we go with the presence of the crucified and risen Christ with us. It is a great gift and one that transforms each person’s life for the amazing work of being sent forth by God to do Christ’s work in the world.
Throughout the Bible, we hear stories of people who are called by God and who feel overwhelmed, inadequate and afraid. Time after time God persists and they discover that they are useful to God.
In the end, if God asks you to do something specific and you are sure that it is really God asking, then there is only one answer: “Yes.” We don’t always think that way first. We often assume God must have the wrong person (as if God doesn’t know who we are and what we are capable of!). But if God asks you to do something, then God knows that you can do it – or God would have asked someone else. So, the next challenge God lays out before you, consider using the words of Isaiah, “Here am I; send me!”
