Send Me

Many years ago, I prayed the most dangerous prayer ever. It was after a long period of

seeking to know God’s will that I prayed, “Here I am, LORD. Send me.” I honestly didn’t

know what I was praying. I thought God’s answer would be to ‘send’ me to teach Sunday

School, volunteer with the youth, and be a better leader in our home church.

A few weeks later, I came to realize how dangerous that prayer was when God called

me into fulltime ministry. He answered my prayer by telling me to leave my comfortable,

safe life and go where he would send me. At that time, I didn’t know that call would

lead us to Wilmore, Ozark, Dothan, Fairhope, Bay Minette and now back to Ozark.

God’s answer to my prayer was an invitation to serve him. His call usually requires us to

surrender our own plans and preferences and go where He tells us, when He tells us,

how He tells us, to meet who He tells us, and to do what He tells us. We call that

complete surrender.

It’s seldom easy to answer God’s call. My first response was to complain that I was

unqualified, inadequate, and unprepared to do what God asked of me. I was right, of

course. But I eventually learned that God never calls perfect people. God calls imperfect,

flawed, weak men and women just like you and me. He simply wants people willing to

be vessels, and He invites them to use their lives to make a difference for him.

The Bible is full of unqualified, inadequate, or unprepared people who God called to

serve him:

Moses was a murderer.

David committed adulterer.

Rahab was a prostitute.

Noah got drunk.

Isaac was a daydreamer.

Joseph was abandoned.

Gideon was afraid.

Jeremiah was too young.

Abraham was too old.

Elijah battled depression.

Naomi became bitter.

Martha was a worrywart.

Peter was violent.

Paul persecuted God’s people.

And John the Baptist ate bugs.

Not exactly the Avengers, these folks. A far cry from any collection of super saints. But

still God called them and used them even though they were far from perfect.

God hasn't changed. The same God who called imperfect people ages past, still does.

Now he's calling you. Inviting you, nudging you, pulling you. God's call prompts you to

live beyond yourself, to not just be about your own comfort but to completely surrender

to his bidding. To go. To serve. To build. To love. To fight. To pray. To give. To lead.

God’s invitation requires a response. So how do you respond when God calls you? In the

Old Testament, we see at least three different responses. The prophet Jonah represents

one of the most common responses: "Here I am, Lord, but I'm not going."

When God saw a need in the city of Nineveh, he chose Jonah to go preach to the people

there. Not only did Jonah tell God ‘No’, he ran in the opposite direction, evidently hoping

he could outrun God or that God would just drop the whole subject.

Have you ever responded this way? Maybe you sensed God's prompting, an invitation to

do something on his behalf. You responded with a defiant, ‘No. I’m not going to do that.’

Or, you turned away from God ignoring his request, hoping he would leave you alone.

The second response to God's call may not be as outwardly rebellious, but it's just as

dangerous to our spiritual health.

When God saw the Israelites being oppressive by Pharaoh, he called Moses. "So now,

go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt" (Ex.

3:10).

But Moses had a different response than Jonah. Instead of refusing to obey God, Moses

came with excuses: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out

of Egypt?" Moses quickly told God all the reasons that he wasn't the right person. "I'm

not a good speaker. I stutter. I'm not good enough. Someone else would be way better

than me."

We still do this today. When God challenges us to give, we say, "But God, I don't have

much for myself. Someone else can give more." When God calls us to serve, we might

rationalize, "I don't have enough time. Surely there are better candidates for this role

than me." When God prompts us to do something, we're tempted to tell him all the

reasons we aren't his best person. We don't know enough. We aren't talented enough.

We aren't good enough. There are so many others who are better qualified for this than

us. While that may be true, God called you and not them. So how will you respond?

There is a third response. And this one isn't just a statement to God, but it's a prayer.

And as you probably guessed, it's dangerous. It's not a safe, benign, or self-centered

prayer. This prayer requires great faith. It's risky because it will almost always move you

to action. It will probably lead you to do something that may not seem natural or easy.

It will cause you to step out of your comfort zone.

Isaiah prayed such a prayer of unreserved availability in the presence of God. The Old

Testament prophet retells of his encounter with the Holy One when God asked, "Whom

shall I send? And who will go for us?" (Isa. 6:8a) And without knowing the details,

without knowing when or where, Isaiah prayed this stunning, life-altering prayer: "Here

I am, LORD. Send me" (Isa.6:8b NLT).

Take it from me, I’ve told God ‘No’ in the past. I’ve offered countless excuses instead of

being obedient. But when I am brave enough to trust God wherever He sends me, God

is faithful to lead, provide, and bless me. I hope you will find the courage to pray "Here

I am, LORD. Send me." You might wind up somewhere you never thought you would

be. But somewhere God will be with you.

Pastor Marty