Send Me!

Isa. 6:8,9

“In the year King Uzziah died,” God “appeared” to Isaiah. The man was immediately struck by the holiness of God, confessed his sin and was forgiven.

God had a task that was urgent. He said to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us.” Isaiah responded, “Here I am! Send me.” Or, in older translations, “Here Am I. Send Me.”

Now, if you keep reading beyond verse 8, you discover this was no celebrity position or magnificent occupation from an earthly standpoint. In fact, people would not listen or be pleased with what Isaiah said.

His commitment was, “Here am I! Send me.”

A personal note here. I never read this without thinking of my father, who was in a men’s training class in the 1950’s. The preacher was teaching the men about various servant functions in the local church. He handed out cards to the men. The card on one side listed all the functions and there was place to check which one you would volunteer for.

I was seated next to my father and watched. He looked over the various functions, then wrote on the back of the card: “Here am I. Send me.”

What an impression that made on me. And at the time, I had no idea he was quoting Isaiah. Only later, when I was reading Isaiah, did I remember – that’s what my father wrote on the card to volunteer for various tasks in the local church.

But the expression takes me to another thought. What would people say today, in that circumstance?

Some might say, “here am I … but I’m just too busy.” Or, “here am I … but send someone else.” Or, “here am I … best wishes Lord.”

Isaiah becomes one of many examples in Scripture, of men and women who stepped up and out, on faith – to do whatever God might require.

“Here am I. Send me.”