....send

In the beginning of Isaiah's ministry, he was allowed to see a vision of God seated on the throne in Heaven. He was allowed to witness the full majesty of God and hear His Heavenly praise; "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory" Isaiah 6:3. The vision of God was so pure and so holy that Isaiah was immediately confronted with his own sinful condition; "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips" Isaiah 6:5.

But God comforted Isaiah by letting him know his sin had been removed; "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" Isaiah 6:7. God had a purpose for revealing Himself to Isaiah. He was looking for a messenger to deliver His Word to the people of Israel: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Isaiah 6:8.

If we were asked such a question, 

- we might be tempted to request a few details before answering

- we might like to know where we would be sent 

- what we would be doing. 

But Isaiah had just experienced the full glory of the Lord. He had seen absolute perfection, recognized his utter sinful condition, and received complete forgiveness from a loving Father. With this understanding of the One who was asking, Isaiah had only one reply.

"And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah had no way of knowing his reply would be the start of sixty years of ministry. He had no way of knowing the many hardships his answer would cause, nor the many joys he would experience through walking in the presence of God. But Isaiah knew the One who was calling...and that was enough!

As a child of God who has seen and understands His glory, there should be only one response when our Father calls. There is no need for lengthy questions regarding the how, why, or what. When the Creator of the Universe calls, we can assume He has made a wise and perfect choice. And that should be enough!

God never makes mistakes and will never call us without also providing the tools to accomplish everything in His plan: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" 2 Corinthians 9:8. We have received His forgiveness and are seeking to abide in the glory of His presence. We must now learn to trust Him more and follow wherever He leads.

God always calls the right person for the job and always provides all we need to fulfill the calling. When God calls, let's trust Him and boldly answer: 

Here am I - send me!

- steve troxel