JULY 2021

"Who Will Go For Us . . ."

Just as in the day of Isaiah, this cry….." who will go for ..Us…" is still being heard all over the world. You may be wondering who is making this Call…. and it's Our Lord. You may be surprised that the Lord who made all heaven and earth is looking for someone to go, after all, He has angels at His beck and call……and you may be wondering if this Call, has anything to do with you or me.

How about we begin in the temple where Isaiah describes how in the year when Uriah died, he suddenly saw the Lord sitting on a Throne and His train filled the whole temple (Isaiah 6 v 1- 9). The vision must have left him awestruck and terrified as he describes how high and lifted up the Lord was and the heavenly beings, seraphims, with six wings that appeared to guard the Lord singing to each other…." Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory". We are also told about how the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the temple was filled with smoke…..!!

And then we read about Isaiah going into a full scale panic, for he suddenly realised that having seen the Lord in his unclean, sinful state, he was going to die. But no sooner had he thought about this that a heavenly solution was found. One of the seraphim flew to touch Isaiah's mouth with a live coal from the alter and declared his sin had been purged.

And then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord making the Call…….whom shall I send, and who will go for Us….?
And quickly, he offered himself…." Here am I! Send me".
Now, Isaiah didn't really know where he was going, or who to go to, or why he was to go. Neither did he know what the outcome of this errand would be, but he offered himself.

There's something about the word…"go" that seems to scare you and I and stop us from answering the Lord's "Call" to go. I wonder if we are too busy with our business or is our work life balance a bit skewed, so we are too busy to seriously take on any of God's business. Remember how Jesus prioritised His Father's business when He walked the earth. Or could it be procrastination, where we feel we will go later, tomorrow and endless…..tomorrow.
Or maybe we aren't keen on the seemingly open-ended nature of the " go".
Our Lord doesn't seem to write it all out for us so we can decide. Or it could be fear or faithlessness, or even a "Yes, but not now", which usually really means a "No."

Just as there is a ……" Everyone who thirsts, Come to the water; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." (Isaiah 55 v 1). And we love and respond to these invitations.

So too, there is a definite "go" into where or what the Lord desires.
Some may say, I don't know where the Lord wants me to go……so that's why I haven't answered the Call. Therein lies the crux of the matter…..!

There is a three-letter word that Isaiah said, before he began to understand anything about the Call. He needed to have his heart moved to say "Yes …" in answer to God's cry …" who shall go for us..?"

It was this "Yes, here am I send me", that Isaiah said, inspite of the fact he didn't know the where or why or how. But "yes" it was. Yes, to Our Lord and whatever He desires, for He always goes with us if we let Him, and helps us accomplish all He sends us out to accomplish.

I know that some may feel this is for the highly anointed. This can be no further from the truth. In its most simple state, the Lord puts on our hearts, things He desires that we do on His behalf. It may be to join the church worship team, children ministry or simply take a bowl of fruit to the neighbour. It may be the Lord asking you to get to know the parents of the child you normally see when you pick your son from school who seems to have no friends. It might be to strike up a conversation with that really unhappy work colleague, and see if you can show some Christ's love. The list of what the Holy Spirit tries to prompt us to do, is endless. But in lots of cases, we ignore the Call and the Lord keeps on…….who will go for Us?

If you notice I didn't say the Call necessarily involved your having to preach the word. That would scare some away from answering the Call. It's more about having a relationship with people first, and then tell them how you do life with your God. It's about saying "yes" to Jesus first and then with Him, working out the rest. It's about sorting out trust issues with God so you can yield to Him. Our ability to yield to Him enables us say "yes" to Him before we know the where or how.

There are so many people waiting who will benefit mightily when we respond to the Call. There are nations to be discipled. There are many that will receive their healing. There are inventions to be done with Godly wisdom when we respond to our Call. There are generations to be reached and people to be transformed.

The choice to respond to the Call of God is ours to be made. Some of us have ignored it for years, but I encourage you to step forward, like Isaiah did. Also Jesus has died for our sins, so His blood has washed us clean.

It usually involves leaving our comfort zone, which may be scary, but the Holy Spirit promises to be our guide and guard. It may be a roller coaster ride, but we can be assured that we aren't alone. We have the Holy Spirit with us. Above all, we will be partnering with heaven, concerning matters that are of great importance to our Lord. The Lord is not usually looking for the qualified, but He searches for those who are available to co-labour with Him and do His bidding.

So Dearly Beloved, lets arise and shake off the lethargy and all that may be holding us back. Let us be sensitive to the Call, and answer with a resounding "Here am I, send me". We will be amazed at where the Lord takes us to.

Prayer;

Dear Father, thank you for calling us unto Yourself. Thank you for the privilege of serving with You. I yield myself to You. Help me bring glory to You, in Jesus's Name.
Amen.

God bless us all.

Mina Bajomo