SOUNDING OUT:
Send Me!
Isaiah 6:8:
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
One of life's great surprises happens when we find ourselves doing the right thing in spite of our natural inclinations.In today's scripture, the prophet Isaiah finds himself volunteering for duty when God asks for help. The words, "Here am I" are translated from one Hebrew word, hen, meaning "lo!" or "behold!" This is an expression of surprise that might be rendered, "Whoa!" in our current vernacular.
A number of months ago, I witnessed a terrible automobile accident where the driver had been thrown from his vehicle and lay dying on the pavement. Several people were gathered around watching while a person with paramedic training did his best to save the man.
My inclination was to stand back and wait for the "experts" to do their work. A helicopter was on the way. I spoke in tongues for the man and asked God what to do. Finally, the paramedic stood back, shaking his head. He had done all he could do.
I stepped up and called out, "Does anybody here know how to pray?" A group of five other drivers knelt in the broken glass with me around the man and we put our hands on him as we prayed. Many others stood in a wide circle in support. In the midst of that horrible tragedy there was great serenity and God was present.
The man did not live. But at his funeral I was able to tell his wife about his last moments. She was so relieved to know that her husband had been loved and encircled by prayer during his final moments of life. It's not the miraculous outcome any of us would have chosen, but it gave the woman great comfort to know that her husband had not suffered and had been loved and prayed for during his final breaths.
When we see an obvious need, our natural inclination might be to look away, turn away, or walk away assuming that someone else will do the work. But God is spirit (John 4:24) that means He has no hands, or feet, or lips but ours. So when we are faced with a broken heart, a broken body, or a broken will, we can see it as God's request to us, "Whom shall I send and who will go?" and our surprising reply can be, "Whoa! Send me!" | | One Man Awake
One man awake awakens another,
The second man wakens his next door neighbor,
And three awake can rouse the town,
and turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake can raise such a fuss,
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One man up with dawn in his eyes - multiplies. -Author Unknown | |
Today's affirmation: "When God calls for volunteers, I will be the first one up with dawn in my eyes." By Constance Darnell
FROM SHIRLEY
GLITTER
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