Here Am I

In Isaiah 6 the prophet came face to face with God and said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips…” Isaiah hit the floor with the realization of his position, a sinner living among sinners and in the presence of God. Isaiah did the one thing that is absolutely necessary for any person to do in relation to God, admit our condition. That allows God to grant us grace and call us into ministry. For this scripture was Isaiah's call to ministry.

It is not that God is so worried about our sin and the guilt that arises from it; we are the ones that have the problem. What God wants is our loving relationship and our load of guilt stops the relationship cold. Once we recognize where we are in the relationship we free ourselves up to let go of the guilt and let God deal with our lives.

Once by the grace of God, Isaiah was free from his guilt, and then he was able to hear God ask the great question, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Wow what a question! Notice that it was not a command of Isaiah you must go, now that you have received forgiveness. NO! God still gave Isaiah the choice and the opportunity to volunteer. He had a free choice in a relationship of mutual love and so do we. How many times do we pass up the opportunity to volunteer for God? Isaiah could have said, “Well God I don’t know but old Hosea might be available, yes let someone else do it.”

Instead Isaiah did say, “Here am I, send me!”