Here I Am: Responding When God Calls Your NameSample

Life is full of exciting opportunities. It is easy to say, “I’ll go,” when the task set before us is something enjoyable or does not seem difficult. When it is the dream inside a heart or the promise of a hope fulfilled, we may even jump at the chance to dive in.          

But what if the call is not so easy or will not fulfill an immediate dream? What if the ask will lead you down bumpy roads and dark nights? In these instances, we are often not as ready to say yes. It takes more grit, willingness, and faith to step out when the call is not lovely. 

The question you must ask yourself is, Are you willing to walk through both if God asks you to? Are you willing to say yes to God’s call to a difficult journey just as easily as an exciting one?    

Isaiah, the prophet, was a man who could say yes to both. Without even knowing what lay ahead, he made himself available to God’s plan time and again. 

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah has a vision where he is before the throne, in the presence of God. While Isaiah felt unworthy to be in the presence of holiness, God affirmed that he was right where He wanted him to be and made a way for him to remain in His presence. After Isaiah realized and proclaimed his sin, the seraphim touched his lips with a burning coal from the altar of incense. Through this symbolic encounter with the angel and the burning coal, Isaiah was extended atonement and grace before the throne.                                 

Only after Isaiah’s lips were touched and he was made clean did he receive his commission. Verse 8 says Isaiah “heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” This is the only “Here I am” moment in which God did not call a specific name. He was simply asking who was available. He was looking for someone willing to go. Not surprisingly, Isaiah’s response was immediate: “Here I am! Send me.”                 

When Isaiah heard God ask for someone to send, he didn’t hesitate to volunteer. Honestly, he didn’t even know what he was signing up for. He had no idea what God was planning. But it did not matter. God had sanctified him, and he was ready and eager to serve God; it did not matter what the task was.              

Isaiah was not perfect, nor was he necessarily the most qualified messenger. He was simply sanctified and willing. That is it. That is all God is looking for in the people He uses. 

Your “Here I am” of willingness to God—of being available for Him to use, whatever the call—will be a conduit He uses to speak truth and hope to unbelieving people. Who knows how that will change the world.