Remember that scene from the movie “Ferris Beuhler’s Day Off,” in which the teacher asks the class a question and then says, “Anybody? Anybody? Anybody?” No one raises their hand. We all know how it feels to be reluctant to volunteer. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I mess up and make a fool of myself? What if I fail? (or maybe even, what if I succeed?) When God appeared to Isaiah in an awe-inspiring vision, Isaiah felt ill-equipped and unworthy to be called on. But God assured him that he was worthy. So when God asked for a volunteer, Isaiah stood up and said “Here am I; send me!” Isaiah’s vision showed him that God does not call the equipped, but rather equips the called, and he was assured that he would be given the support he needed to fulfil his mission. Even so, it still took a lot of willingness and courage on Isaiah’s part to stand up and say yes.
It’s been said that when we supply the willingness, God supplies the power. Have you ever made yourself willing and found that you were, indeed, supplied with the power you needed? Is there something calling you now – an important action or cause – that you have not yet been willing to say yes to? How could willingness change your life for the better? How might it stretch you in ways that are uncomfortable? What are the costs and benefits of saying yes to God?
-thoughts on Isaiah 6:8, "And I said, ‘Here am I; send me.’”
