WATCHWORD:
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” 9 And he said, “Yes, go…“ Isaiah 6:5-9
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20
8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Meditation:
Whom Shall I Send?
I know we have talked about this and related topics before, whether we spoke of the Voice of God, Jesus Calling, Nudges from God, or whatever, but Oswald Chambers opens our eyes to a different ‘take’ on God asking “Whom shall I send?”
Before I get into that, let me ask you this: Do you think you are a ‘chosen one’? Seriously, do you believe that you are one of God’s “chosen ones”? Don’t let your dang pride get in the way of answering that, or some sense of false modesty. Search your heart for the answer. Remember, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Is Christ your Lord and Savior, and do you trust Him with your life, really trust Him? Right there in your heart is your answer.
Okay, on to the question, Whom Shall I Send? I can only imagine within the vast expanse of Heaven, when the Holy One asks that question, there is quite as racket of angels, arch angels, guardian angels, angels-in-training, all saying “Send Me, Father!” As a chosen one, you join in. Send me!
Here is the point that Chambers was making. The call of God is not just for a select few, but for everyone. Whether we hear or heed God’s call or not will depend on each individual’s “hearing”, and that will depend on the answer to that other question: Are you a chosen one? You know the answer that rests in your heart.
We may note that Jesus, when he called his disciples with “Come, follow me”, He spoke directly to them. It should also be noted that Andrew, Peter, James and John, and many others, had spent nearly a year, frequently visiting Jesus’ home in Capernaum, engaging Him in conversations and teachings. They knew that He would be visiting other villages. They were prepared to leave their nets and follow.
This is what Chambers says: “Chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear the voice of God asking…who will go for us.” Or more to the point, who will follow.
God doesn’t force anyone to make a reply. You are not going to ‘hear’ God telling you to do something, or else. He will not plead with you. He will not insist. You may sense a nudging from the Lord, but the choice will be yours.
However, make no mistake, if we allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we will hear what Isaiah heard, and we will know we are chosen, and our answer will be “Here am I! Send me.” Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Martin Buber, tells this to illustrate the importance of telling stories –
My grandfather was lame. Once they ask him to tell a story about his teacher. And he related how the holy Baal Shem used to hop and dance around while he prayed. My grandfather rose as he spoke, and he was so swept away by his storytelling that he himself began to hop and dance around to show how the master had done it. From that hour on he was cured of his lameness. Now that’s away to tell a story!
Closing Prayers:
Jesus, I am humbled that You consider me worthy to be used—in ways big and small—to accomplish Your will here on earth. Help me respond without hesitation whenever I perceive Your voice calling me into action. Amen.
Dear Lord Jesus, I long to know You more and more and have a deep yearning in my soul to draw closer to You, Lord. I know so much about You, Your birth in Bethlehem, Your ministry to hurting and oppressed people, Your crucifixion, burial and resurrection and your present ministry, where You are seated on the right hand of the Father in heaven. But Lord, I want to know You personally and intimately and to be identified with You in every area of my life. Help me I pray to identify with You. To identify with Your death, so that I may die to self and live in newness of life. Lord, it was Paul that prayed, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, and being conformed to His death,” and Lord, I pray that too. And what is more Lord, I also want to be able to say with him, “that I consider everything loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Help me day by day to grow in grace and in a knowledge of You, until I can say, “it is not I that live, but Christ who lives in me.” I ask this in His precious name, Amen.
