Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
My grandson tells me “You’re old grandpa.” True enough in comparison to his tender years but in terms of my God who is the ancient of days, I am not even equal to a millisecond in time.
When I hear the voice of my Lord, do I reply or do I talk back? Ah, talking back the sure sign of the immature. Nearly every parent has heard it and knows what it sounds like. I have to ask myself how do I sound to my Lord?
I will admit my prayers have sounded like a whiney child. Things are not going as I’d like and I want God to fix it. I am not proud of that comment but it is honest. Then I remember that those prayers are not a reply. God actually has to ask something of me for me to reply.
Isaiah replies to the Lord without hesitation to an open request he was allowed to hear. Just the fact that Isaiah could hear the voice of the Lord is a tremendous blessing. Most of us go through life without hearing the voice of the Lord. We hear by faith and we would be accused of being insane to admit we heard the auditable voice of God.
Most of us discover our commission in the Word, the bible. The bible contains every command that our Lord would ever utter aloud to us. Which words speak to us by faith is a very personal matter. Doubt can arise in our minds and our instinct is to get confirmation. Where do we turn when we need a confirming word?
Not everyone we trust is gifted with the kind of discernment needed to help decipher a word of faith given to someone else. If we ask the wrong person we might find their answer shrouded in friendship. The mantle of friendship is not easily removed. We need someone who hears the Lord with greater clarity.
Here is my advice. Pray to the Lord. Ask for a confirming word without speaking to anyone. God is able to use faithful servants to deliver a word without even understanding who it is meant to reach. The trick is to place ourselves in the area where others are free to speak and share without fear of rejection.
God is patient and understands the intentions of the heart. He is more likely to answer our doubts in this manner rather than us going around seeking opinions of the masses.
Who among us has the gift of prophecy hidden in our midst?