Here am I. Send me! (Isa. 6:8)
Get up in front of all those people? No way. My husband and I were on a cruise ship, participating in a group activity. It turned out that the activity involved competition. The winner had the chance to win a free cruise. The ship’s entertainers selected me from the crowd to compete, apparently because I seemed “enthusiastic.” Yet I was not about to step up in front of those people.
Isaiah, on an emotional roller coaster, sped through awe, worship, humility, confession, and, finally, restoration. Whether he realized it or not, it prepared him for the leadership role God had in store. Yet God didn’t force him into anything. Instead He offered an invitation: “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah had to step up. And just when we think he would want to run and hide, we discover that God’s preparation plan worked. Isaiah was ready to jump into the fray.
The best of leaders, almost always, passionately pursue the job. Generally, God won’t shove us into leadership. He invites us. We must step up and accept that invitation. And if we’ve gone through his leadership training academy, as Isaiah did, we’ll be ready to participate for His glory. Don’t say no. I still sometimes wonder what fun I missed out on by not getting up on that stage during the cruise.
Take the risk to accept one new thing God is calling you to today.
Diane Gardner lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where she is a writer and freelance editor; leads Bible studies; and enjoys reading, traveling, street fairs, and live theater.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
