Here. I. Am.

Isaiah 6:8

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.'

Comparison is the thief of joy! So true - how often have you and I made ourselves miserable by comparing ourselves, our situation, with others? But there is a comparison we need to make - with God.

Isaiah has a vision of the holiness of God and it's terrifying, overwhelming, devastating. In comparison, Isaiah is struck down by his own unworthiness: he feels crushed, dirty, sinful. Surely if it happened to us, we'd feel the same.

In the vision God sends his angel to cleanse Isaiah, proclaiming 'your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.' Then and then only God asks, 'Whom shall I send?' and Isaiah can respond: 'Here I am. Send me.'

You and I cannot be worthy of God's calling. But wait...

Look again, in your imagination, at the Cross. Look...

Hear the words spoken to you: ' your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned.'

Because of Jesus, you are wrapped in his holiness and you can be called by the Father to do his work, to do, as the Lord's Prayer says, his 'will on earth as in heaven.'

But is that not hugely daunting? What might he call me to do?

In the New Testament (Acts 9) we meet a similar 'Here I am' in another vision. This time it's Ananias, whom God calls to go and minister to Saul who'd had a (literally) stunning encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. But, objects Ananias, this is the man who's come to murder us!' Fair point - completely daunting. However, he goes in obedience and finds Saul utterly transformed!

This is always God's way. When he calls us to a task, he has always gone ahead to prepare the ground. Don't fear his calling.

Prayer - Here...I...am, Lord. In 2024 I'll do what you ask me, go where you send me, knowing that you are ahead and have prepared the best, the safest, the right path for me. Thank you.