Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | 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!”  Isaiah 6:8

When God called Jeremiah to be a spokesman, the young man – probably in his late teens or early 20s – said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD…I do not know how to speak; I am only a child,” and hearing this, God said, “I’m sorry, Jeremiah, I must have made a big mistake.”  Not so, but God did reach out and touch his lips and gave Him the message He wanted delivered.

When God called Moses to speak on His behalf, Moses responded with a variety of excuses such as that he was not eloquent, that he had a speech impediment (perhaps a stutter), and that his brother Aaron was a lot better qualified than he as a talker.  But God is not easily dissuaded when He wants something done.  He’s not looking for super salespeople but honest, trustworthy men and women to tell our generation what God tells them.

In that very moving passage that we identify as Isaiah 6, a young man had an encounter with the glory of God.  When Isaiah saw God’s glory, he cried out, “Woe to me!  I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:6).  Then God sent a heavenly creature with a live coal from the altar of heaven, and he touched his mouth.  Then God asked, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?” and he responded, “Here am I.  Send me!”

You may have never audibly heard His voice, yet you still hear the echo of the question, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  It’s the twenty-first century, and our world has changed tremendously, yet the reality is that God has always worked through common, ordinary individuals to make His message known, and the strange thing about it which is repeated over and over is that God chooses unlikely candidates for success to deliver that message.

Making today personal, I’d like to ask, “What is the message, the mandate which God has sent you to deliver?”  One thing is certain.  Before Jesus walked up the slopes of the Mt. of Olives and ascended to heaven, He gave His followers a charge: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every person!”  We often call it the Great Commission, “but in many cases it is the “Great Omission.”  Is it still valid?

I am amazed with the brashness and boldness of many who have a cultic message to deliver, one that promises success, wealth, and promotion.  At the same time I am profoundly appalled by the timidity of most Christians, fearing to mention the name of Jesus Christ lest they be considered bigoted, or their actions be thought of as proselytizing.

How you deliver the message, of course, is important, yet letting your neighborhood, your office, your home, your city know that God is not indifferent to our lives, that He sent His son to a mission of life to bring is back to Heaven, that there is forgiveness for our sins and failures, and help for your despair and hopelessness, is still Good News.

The fact is, you are a missionary with a mandate to share the Good News!  Remember God’s question to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for me?”  Most of the time that doesn’t require going 10,000 miles from home, but across the hall, across the street, or down the block.  And when you realize His presence goes with you, it isn’t so difficult to respond, “Here I am, Lord.  Send me!”  And amazing things happen when you know God works through you to accomplish His purpose and will.  It’s still true today as it was in Moses’ day long ago.

Resource reading:  Isaiah 6:1-10