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WHOM SHALL I SEND? (ISAIAH 6:6-10)

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Whom shall I send? To send means to order or instruct to go to a particular destination or direction for a purpose. Whom shall I send? is God’s quest to search for those who will avail themselves to be commissioned for His mission. We shall reflect on two facts.
1. Before God calls and sends us, He prepares us for His mission.
2. God expect those He has called, sanctified and equipped to respond or avail themselves to be commissioned for His mission.

First, God does not send us on a mission without first calling and preparing us for the His mission. Isaiah confirmed this fact when he said “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. (Isaiah 6:6-7). Similarly, before the disciples were sent on God’s mission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations, we are told, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4) This means no matter how unworthy we are, God can graciously count us worthy for His purpose. Beloved in the Lord, like Isaiah, you may also be feeling unworthy and unqualified for God’s purpose but we are greatly assured of God’s sufficient grace and sanctification that can revive and restore us for His glory and purpose. Paul reemphasised this point when He wrote, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). We need to note that through repentance and faith in Christ, God has counted us worthy of His mission. Let us avail ourselves to be sanctified for God’s purpose.

Secondly, God expects those He has called, sanctified and equipped to respond or avail themselves to be commissioned for His mission. Indeed, if God has sanctified and counted us worthy for His mission, then like Isaiah, we must be ready to respond in the affirmative when God says, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? (Isaiah 6:8) We must boldly respond “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) For Isaiah, He was sent to the Israelites to warn them against God’s impending judgement if they refuse to repent and turn to Him. Today, we Christians have been commissioned to fulfil the Great Commission toward the salvation of the world. Jesus said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). God’s mission is no longer to save only the Israelites but to save the whole world therefore every believer is part of this mission. Apart from our mutual call or commission to evangelise, there are other ministries within the Church that God sends us to fulfil. Christian leadership is a ministry that requires dedicated men and women to serve. Supporting the Church financially is also a ministry that requires generous and God-fearing men and women. Music ministries also require people who are gifted to serve during worship services. Cleaning the Worship place and rendering all manner of service in the house of God are all unique ministries that require selfless men and women. Like the guest in the parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14:15-24, let us not habitually use wealth acquisition, business, work, marital or family duties and other worldly engagements to give excuses when we are called by God to serve or to fulfil His purpose. We must count ourselves as stewards and serve God with our life, time, possessions, talents and spiritual gifts. Let us remember that we have been called by grace therefore “….when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

In summary, we have discovered that before God calls and sends us, He prepares us for His mission. Again, God expects those He has called, sanctified and equipped to respond or avail themselves to be commissioned for His mission. Shalom.

PRAYER

Almighty God, we surrender our lives to you completely. Use us for glory and the edification of Your people. Glory and honour be to your Name, now and forever. Amen.