Observation: Isaiah tells a dramatic call story, where he visits God's Heavenly temple, where God sits surrounded by six-winged seraphs, who loudly sing God's praise. After being cleansed of his sin, Isaiah hears God's question: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" I've read this text hundreds of times, but today, for the first time, I'm wondering: is Isaiah the only person having this vision? Is he alone? And if so, then is God's call really a rhetorical question? "Well, I'm the only one here, Lord, so I guess...send me?"
Application: The frustrating thing about God's call is that it often does happen this way. The vision may be less dramatic, but it's always personal. A sense that something should be done. A passion that starts with just one person, sharing their thoughts and realizing another person is not just going to listen to my idea and adopt it as their personal mission. No one else can dream for me, and I can't dream for you. Each of us has a call from God, to serve in our own way.
Sometimes it's frustrating when you feel called to something, and it doesn't immediately pan out. It definitely needs to be an ongoing conversation with God and with people close to you, to determine how exactly you should answer God's call.
Often if you find a detour walking one path, it's because God is steering you in another direction. We place too much value today on determination, and not enough on flexibility. There's something to be said for sticking to a plan through adversity. But there's also something to be said for listening for God's "Plan B", which may have really been "Plan A" all along.
Make no mistake: God's question of "whom shall I send?" is completely rhetorical. Nobody else is standing next to you in your dream, saying, "hey, I'll take care of it!" But the individual way your life says, "Here I am, send me!" will take many forms throughout your life.
Prayer: God, here I am. Send me. I'll listen for the details on the way. Amen.
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