The Call
There is an old joke that goes like this:
A young farmer, standing in his field, observes a peculiar cloud formation. The clouds form the letters G, P, and C, and he thinks them a call from God: Go Preach Christ!
The farmer rushes to the pastor of his church and insists that he has been called to preach. Respectful of his ardor, the pastor invites him to fill the pulpit.
That Sunday, the sermon is long, tedious, and virtually incoherent. When it finally ends, the leaders of the church sit in stunned silence. Finally, the pastor mutters to the would-be preacher, "Seems to me the clouds were saying, "Go Plant Corn".
On Sunday we were in part two of a sermon series called Risky Prayers. I shared a bit about the call God placed on my life and how I got to the point where I could actually hear it. NO clouds were involved :)
In Isaiah 6:8, the prophet says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'"
Notice God didn’t direct the call specifically to Isaiah. Isaiah overheard God asking this question and his response was “Here am I. Send me.”
I love that God’s call is not just for a select few, but rather for everyone!
Here’s the other thing: God didn’t force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God —a holy perfect God — and with complete freedom Isaiah responded, “Send me,” I imagine him saying: “Send me, I want to serve you! I want to give my life to you. God you are so awesome, look at all you have done for me… what else can I do but say here I am, send me. Send me.”
However like Isaiah, before we can respond to the call, we have to have ears to hear it.
The best way to hear God's call is to draw near to God. The promise is, that if you do, God will draw near to you!
As you draw near you will recognize how Mighty and Holy God is. You will also recognize, like Isaiah did in Isaiah 6:5, how truly unholy you are by comparison.
Most importantly as you draw near to God you will understand God’s grace and all that God has done for you through Jesus. When you understand the Grace of God it changes everything and you are transformed. Then you can hear God’s call. It is up to you how you will respond. For me, my desire is to respond like Isaiah: Here am I, God. Send me!
Join us this Sunday as we gather around the table, and together learn the third Risky Prayer, Break me. I look forward to worshipping with you!