Answer the Call

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying "Whom shall I send and who will go for us" and then I said "here am I. Send me!" --Isaiah 6:8

No matter who you are, God can use you. Think about all the people he used in the Bible who didn't think they were cut out for the job. God used Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt, despite Moses' self-proclaimed speech impedement. God used David, a mere boy, to slay the giant Goliath. He even placed a dreaming Joseph in a position of authority second only to the pharaoh. He used Esther to reach the heart of her husband, kind Xerxes so that the lineage of Jewish people leading up to Jesus might be preserved.

In this verse, God speaks to Isaiah and asks him to be his prophet even though Isaiah was "a man of unclean lips". God doesn't necessarily need us to help him carry out his plan. After all, he's God and could command the stones to come to life to praise his name if he wanted.

When God puts it on our hearts to do something for him, we need to have the faith to stand up and say "Here am I, send me!" We shouldn't sit back for awhile and think "well, maybe once I've learned a few more Bible verses, then I'll be able to witness to people...". We don't need to worry about our abilities or our perceived inabilities to be useful to God.

Spiritual growth is a continuing process. That's why it's called growth. What if we waited until we reached our full-grown size before buying any clothes? For one thing, we wouldn't be able to venture out of the house wearing nothing but a smile. In a similar way, we need to put on what fits us spiritually right now. God has a purpose in our lives at this very moment. As we grow spiritually, God will provide us with the new "clothes" we need to fit our growing spiritual maturity.

Nothing can happen unless we're willing to listen to God's voice. In addition, we need to find our voices and answer him when he calls us with a challenge to follow him. By saying "send me!" I guarantee we can be part of an interesting and rewarding experience, though it might not always be an easy one.