Here Am I; Send Me

            Isaiah wrote, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory.  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:1-8.

            Many Christians live BELOW their potential. Some are caught in ruts of unchanging routines. Others are busy but feel their lives are barren. They are active but feel they accomplish little. What is missing from the lives of these folks? We sing, “All to Jesus I surrender,” but have we? Are we missing the joy of involvement in the greatest work on earth? We need to say with Isaiah, “Here Am I; Send Me.” How can we make these five words life changers for us all?

            First, we must see God as He is. Verses 1-4. Isaiah lived in a wicked period in his nation’s history. His people had forsaken the Lord; violence filled the land. Immortality was rampant; alcohol flowed freely. King Uzziah had been Isaiah’s hope for the nation. However, the king died. Now Isaiah realized his only hope must be in God. Politicians are unable to solve root problems; only God can do this. At this panic point in the life of Isaiah, he was given a vision of God in all His holiness. The holiness of God is revealed throughout the Bible, particularly at the Cross. Changing views of sin do not change God’s holiness. The Word of God says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;   Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  1 Peter 1:15, 16.

            Second, we must see ourselves as we are. Verses 5-7. Isaiah experienced old-fashioned conviction of sin. He has been made aware of the holiness of God. This made him aware of his own sinfulness. “Woe is me!” “I am undone.” “I am a man of unclean lips.” “I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” How long has it been since we measured ourselves by God’s perfect standard? The Word of God says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5. Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” John 12:48. Have we been excusing our sins? Have we been comparing ourself to others and looking good? If so, we need to confess our sins and be made clean. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:9-10.

            Third, we must see the world as God sees it. Verse 8. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The reason for God’s call was that there was a lost and dying world. The same is true today! Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14. Jesus said, “few there be that find it.” Five words changed Isaiah’s life. “Here am I; send me.” His response launched him on a great adventure. He would spend the rest of his life telling people about God. We need to see lost people as God sees them.

            God gave Isaiah a challenge! What is our answer to God’s challenging call? Isaiah’s five-word response gave him a purpose for living. Jesus informs us that the majority will be lost. What will we do? Bobby D. Gayton