Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
Isaiah 6:8
Donnalyn Quintana of Weather, Texas, read a newspaper story about a South Dakota boy who had to quit competitive roping to battle cancer. Later that year she learned the boy had died. She realized that during his struggles she could have called rodeo star Roy Cooper to visit the boy and cheer him up. Having been raised in a family of rodeo professional, she knew all the stars and could have contacted Cooper. She then reminisced, “I could’ve made a difference with one phone call.” She then went forward making a difference. In 1994 the former dental assistant started the nonprofit Western Wishes, an organization for disabled or terminally ill children to make their cowboy dreams a reality.
It requires so little of us to make a difference. Few of us are in a position do large and extraordinary things in life, though we all can make a phone call, provide a ride, sit quietly with someone in despair. Meaningful ministry is located in our everyday travels.
After a 52-year reign of relative peace, King Uzziah of Judah died of leprosy in 739 BC., the same year Isaiah began his prophetic ministry. In a vision Isaiah saw the Lord, “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” The Lord had a message to deliver to the nation of Judah, and He expresses His desire for a messenger in verse 8. Isaiah’s exclamation “Here am I; send me” marked the very beginning of his ministry; the priest was now a prophet, and the Lord’s message for Judah eventually became the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah was hesitant to respond because he aware of his own unworthiness: “Woe to me! For I am a man of unclean lips.” The spirit of God then touched the man who now recognized his calling. Prior to that point, Isaiah saw himself as an unworthy messenger; once he was blest, he immediately desired to serve the Lord in whatever way possible.
Most of us have a tinge of unworthiness when it comes to serving the Lord. I have nothing new to add to the multiple reasons so many people allude to for not being engaged. These feelings of inadequacy span the range from thinking that one lacks enough biblical knowledge to thinking that you don’t have any special gifts. I provide the same remedies that you have always heard: a smile is ministry, a kind word is ministry, being present is ministry. So, let us once again get inspired and motivated to say, “Here am I; send me!”
Captain Tim Scott is the pastor of the Salvation Army church where I worship in Florence, South Carolina. On June 16, 2024, he preached a sermon on discipleship. In that sermon he made this astute observation, “Isaiah had five words that are life changing, ‘Here am I; send me!’” The pastor went on to say, “What would happen in our own lives and in the world if we said, ‘Here am I; send me!’”
Those five words encapsulate the entire meaning of discipleship, “I am here, send me.” Our sending forth may not be as monumental as going to the entire nation of Judah or having a ministry so profound that it is recorded in a biblical book, yet going to our neighbor or having a love note tucked away and saved is equal to anything that Isaiah did.
Gary Sinise was working with veterans in Chicago when he was asked to play Lieutenant Dain in the 1994 movie Forest Gump. Presently working with veterans, he was eager to play the role of a Vietnam veteran who came home from the war disabled. Since then, Sinise has continued working with disabled veterans saying, “Many go into deep despair, so I try and bring a little light to what could be a very dark place for them.”
By responding to God with the words “Here am I; send me,” we will be a little light in a dark place.