Better people for the worst of times: Calling

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities).

“People are God’s method.  The church is looking for better methods.  God is looking for better people” (E.M. Bounds, The Power of Prayer).

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!”

(Isaiah 6:8).

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  (Romans 10:14-15).

Mission is God’s idea – from beginning to end – because God is by his very nature a “Sender.”  The Father sends the Son, and the Father and the Son send the Spirit.  The Lord Jesus says, “Go!”  The Spirit sends his people out as Christ’s ambassadors.  And yet so much of the posture of our Christian ministries say, “Come.”  We wait for those who need Christ to walk into our spaces.  We are still under the impression that “if we build it, they’ll come.”  But the harvest is in the field, not in the barn. 

  Isaiah, having seen the Vision, having been Awe-struck and sinking under the weight of deep Contrition over his unworthiness receives the Absolution of his guilt from the altar of sacrifice. And now he hears Adonai (the Lord) “ask,” “Whom shall I send?”  This is the only instance in the Bible where a prophet doesn’t receive a direct call.  Instead, it comes in the form of a question.  The question simply hangs in the air.  God is not limited to one way or another when calling a person into his mission.

Notice:  The Lord is asking, “Who will go for us?”  He is not asking someone to go based on their own ideas about what is needed.  The Holy One is not interested in the goals of the prophet.  God does not send us to do something that will necessarily make us feel better about ourselves.

It is as if Isaiah is the only person in the temple.  He knows the question is directed at him.  And he answers straightaway.  “Here am I.  Send me.”  When God calls you and me to a specific task or role, we know that it is unmistakably for us. 

When God called Betsy and me to Iceland, the process had already started with our surrendering to Christ as Savior and Lord.  While we were still in preparation for ministry God started speaking to us about Iceland and it culminated in June of 1983.  We had been wrestling with the craziness of going to a place where we had never been (there were no “vision trips” in those days for interested missionary candidates).  Were we really going to move to an isolated place, with a difficult language and take our three little kids with us?   Then one morning during candidate orientation, I had been reading the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) and could see in my mind’s eye a vision of a giant standing on Iceland, saying, “I dare you to send someone over here.”  With that we knew unmistakably God was laying before us a challenge and that Iceland was for us. 

         The next step after vision, contrition and absolution is “hearing” the call and knowing it is for you.  Is God calling you to a specific task or ministry?  A specific person or group?  Is it to a familiar place or unknown?  What are you hearing from the Lord?  Will you answer “yes” even if you don’t know exactly what it will mean?    Let’s listen to Jesus and do what he says.