Hearing... And Responding.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)

You may have heard the old joke: "Lord, here am I... send someone else!" Sadly, though, it's not a joke for everyone. There are countless stories of Christians who, in the face of hearing a call from God, opted to respond with a resounding "No."

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Martha shared with us that hearing the voice of the Lord should evoke within us the desire to obey His voice. A key component of obedience is availability: if we truly adore the One who is King, then we will want to please Him. If we truly love Him, then we will want to be found in His presence. If we have taken His interests to heart, then we will want to participate in carrying out His agenda.

As we reflect today, we must ask ourselves whether our worship of God is authentic. Worship is not measured by the beauty of our singing voice, nor even our participation in ministry events. The Scripture reminds us that God examines our hearts (see First Samuel 16:7; Isaiah 29:13-14): He takes note of our motivations and inner thoughts. Isaiah's response, "Send me!", was not a begrudged acquiescence to the call of God. Rather, Isaiah was excited. Isaiah was eager to do something for this great King of kings. Isaiah wanted to be a part of God's program, and he said "yes" to God even before he learned what his specific assignment was.

What about us? Are we responding to the voice of God with an eagerness to go wherever He sends us? Or, are we asking Him to lay out every detail of our life-path before we say 'yes'?

O Master, let me walk with Thee in lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear the strain of toil, the fret of care.
(Washington Gladden)