The Call

Isaiah 6:8 (NIVUK)
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

There are times when someone asks us for a favour, or to volunteer at an event. We may jump at the opportunity or do so reluctantly; sometimes we look around hoping that someone else will volunteer first! I’m definitely guilty of being in church when the call has gone out for people to join teams and have sat there thinking, 'it’s ok, someone else will do it.' 

I gather that research shows that people are more likely to help or volunteer if you ask them by name, rather than by asking generally. So why does God here ask 'at large' whom he should send? I think it was because, although God was specifically calling Isaiah, he needed Isaiah to come forward and declare himself. God calls us each in the way that we need to be called, not necessarily in the way that we expect. But he wants us to step up.

When God has a call for us, it’s more than someone on a Sunday asking us to join a team: he is calling us to play our part in the plan he has for us and his world. Sometimes this call is for something relatively small, and other times it can be a huge step into a different direction for our life but it's all part of his perfect and good plan. I’ve got friends who have moved countries with no greater plan than they knew God had called them - they are some of the happiest people I know. 

The common factor when we follow the call is the need to step out in courage and faith, trusting God in everything, even if that first step is scary. Obedience will always lead to joy further along the road!

Prayer- Lord, help us to be more like Isaiah. Please give us the wisdom to hear, courage to follow, and strength to persevere in the call that you have on our lives.