1Day
Call and Response
Jessica Theaderman , Global Ministries
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying , “ Whom shall I send ? And who will go for us ?” And I said , “ Here I am ! Send me .”
Your phone rings . You see it ’ s a number you don ’ t recognize . Thinking it ’ s probably a telemarketer , you ignore it . Moments later , your phone rings again . This time , you see it ’ s your boss . Waiting until the third or fourth ring , you answer with a hesitant , “ Hello ?” Later , you get yet another phone call and see it ’ s your spouse or your best friend . You immediately answer with a cheerful , “ Hey !”
Our response to a phone call typically reflects the relationship we have with that person . So ... what if we received a call from God ? How would we respond ?
In Isaiah 6 , we see the call and response of the prophet Isaiah . When God asks , “ Who will go ?” Isaiah does not hesitate to respond . He wholeheartedly says , “ Here I am ! Send me .”
The Hebrew word used here is hineni , which means “ Here I am .” But it ’ s much more than that . It ’ s a posture of the heart that expresses a total readiness to give of ourselves . It ’ s an offer of complete availability and surrender to whatever God is asking , often before we fully know what will be asked of us .
God ’ s call to partner with him and his work around the world looks different for each of us . Some he may call to serve overseas as missionaries . Some he may call to serve on short-term mission trips or in local cities . Others he may call to give financially toward supporting missions .
Regardless of what God calls us to , what matters most is the posture of our hearts when we answer .
When God calls , how will you respond ?