WATCHWORD:
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8
Surely you shall call a nation that you do not know, and nations that did not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you. Seek the Lord while He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:5-6
Meditation:
Columbus Day
Christopher Columbus is a somewhat unappreciated hero today. Nonetheless, his accomplishment in history was huge. He himself said, “It was the Lord who put it into my mind to sail to the Indies. The fact that the Gospel must be preached to so many lands—that is what convinced me. Charting the seas is but a necessary requisite for the fulfillment of the Great Commission of our glorious Savior.”
He attempted great things for God, and he led the path for others to follow into the New World. Columbus also led daily devotions on his ship. This was the prayer they said daily during that historic voyage:
Blessed be the light of day,
And the holy cross we say;
And the Lord of verity,
And the Holy Trinity.
When he arrived on land in the western hemisphere, those were his very first words, after which he planted a Cross—the Cross of Jesus Christ. Christopher, means “Christ-bearer” and Columbus believed all of his life that it was his calling by God to carry Christ to the New World, to the far isles of the sea.
Devotional by James Kennedy, Coral Ridge Ministries
I rarely think of Christopher Columbus as a follower of Christ, a spreader of His word, a man called by God. When the Call came, he embraced it and it took him to the New World.
The story of Isaiah may very well be the same story of that led Columbus. The Lord had led Isaiah through a specific process to prepare him to deliver His message to the people of Judah. That preparation brought Isaiah to his knees and Isaiah is ready to say “Here am I, send me.” We know little of how Columbus was prepared for The Call, but obviously he was ready and he responded with his acts.
Have you ever felt that God put something special on your heart that you should do? Maybe it was something small, like reaching out to a shut-in, or something huge, like giving your total life to the purpose God placed on our heart. How did or would you respond? “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening?” The way, the path of a follower of Christ, is often a mystery until you are on it, and it takes over your life, and you feel the Joy of your Lord. Yes, joy is part of the journey.
We never know when The Call will come to us, or how. God uses various means; A whispered message from the heart, the voice of a loved one, a message buried deep in a devotional, something you learned years ago suddenly has relevance in the ‘now’, or simply circumstances in which you find yourself. We are not always prepared for it by our standards, but keep in mind it is God’s Call to us. If He calls you, He prepares y9u. Let me cue up your answer to His Call: “Here am I, send me.”
From Writer’s Edge Recommendation:
‘The Inn on Jericho Road is a scripture-inspired allegory that brings the Parable of the Good Samaritan to Life! Travel alongside a doubting merchant on his journey of Faith and Witness the power of God’s love.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, teach me more of Who You are and show me how flawed my understanding is of who I truly am and of all that Christ has done for me. Thank you for cleansing my lips and washing me clean in the blood of Jesus. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live in me and for building me up, into the living Temple, with all who are saved by grace, through faith in Christ. In a world that has lost its way, I pray in Jesus’ name, “Lord. Here am I; send me.” Amen.
