This post is a part of my series of once weekly devotionals called Faith for Thought. Bookmark the homepage for Faith for Thought here to return to it for the weekly update on Thursday!
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Isaiah 6:8
8 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, NIV
Devotion
I love this passage. It’s encouraging; it’s challenging; it’s a good reminder to say “yes” to what God is asking you to do.
Need a volunteer? Here am I. Send me!
Looking for a someone to help you out? Here am I. Send me!
A ride, a tutor, an advocate, a coach, a Sunday School teacher, a Meals on Wheels deliverer? Here am I. Send me!
Like I said, I love this passage.
Almost to a fault.
If you’re anything like me, there are a lot of days you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off, just trying to survive and manage all of these things to which you’ve said, “Here am I! Send me!”
I’m not here to tell you to slow down, to stop, to say no, to do less. Perhaps you do need that advice; perhaps you don’t.
But I am here to remind you that there’s another verse in Isaiah that’s almost just like it. We don’t talk about it as much. It goes like this:
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Isaiah 58:9, NIV
When we read the Bible, we often think about ourselves telling God: Here I am.
But the Bible is all about God saying to us: Here I am.
Yes, we respond to the Bible by following Jesus; by dedicating our lives to Him.
But the Bible is about God’s promises to us. It’s about how He is always with us, how He protects us, how He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Take Action
Where do you feel God calling you to say, “Here am I”? Before committing to anything new, perhaps you first need to remember that God is there for you when you call Him.
Memorize Isaiah 58:9 this week. When you hear the phrase, “Here I am,” think of it as God saying it to you.
