A Prayer to Accept God's Call - Your Daily Prayer - May 17

A Prayer to Accept God’s Call
By Kyle Norman

Bible Reading:
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.” - Isaiah 6:8

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Do you find it easy to put your hand up and volunteer for a task or a duty? When there is a call in your church for people to help with a potluck or an event, do you naturally rise to the challenge? For many, helping others seems an easy thing to do. But what would you do if you heard God’s voice calling you to a specific action or task? What if God asked you to voice a message to someone in your in life? Well, then putting up your hand to say “send me” becomes a little more difficult, doesn’t it?

These five words, “Here I am, Send me,” are perhaps the hardest five words in our lie of faith. By these words we offer ourselves, not only to God, but to the living out of God’s purposes in the world. Believing in God can be easy, but being willing to be used by God can often push us past our zones of comfort. Often, accepting God’s calling in our lives means that we offer ourselves to others in service or ministry. Maybe, like Jonah, it involves bearing a message to someone we would rather not talk to. Saying “Send me” can be scary. In these words, boldness meets humility, and faith meets trust. These words can be hard to speak, and harder to live out.

Have you heard the voice of God calling you to an action or a ministry? Have you heard the gentle whisper of the Savior asking you, “Who will I send, and who will go for us?” What was your response? Don’t despair if it has been hard to accept this calling. Don’t condemn yourself if an affirmation of your calling hasn’t easily rolled off your lips. You are in good company. The great pillars of faith have always struggled with this.

Sarah says, “Here I am, but I’m too old” (Genesis 18:12), Jeremiah says “Here I am, but I’m too young” (Jeremiah 1:6); Moses says, “Here I am, but send someone else” (Exodus 4:13), and Peter says, “Here I am, but I’m too sinful” (Luke 5:8). Even though Isaiah says, “Here I am, Send Me!” he only speaks these words after he says, “woe is me, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5). 

It seems that it is natural, in the light of God’s call, to focus only on our insufficiency. God calls, and all we can see are the many reasons why we don’t measure up to the perfection of the one calling us into his work. But notice there is no condemnation in this. God never rebukes any of the people for questioning their calling. God simply, continues the call. In fact, this pause before jumping head-on into action is a good thing. Racing into the tide of God’s movement is not something to be done recklessly. It demands more than the spirit of the moment. 

But when that call won’t go away, when we have spoken to trusted prayer-partners about it, when we have prayed over it, when we have gone through our time of discernment, and when the call of God just won’t cease, our faith demands the response. And when that happens, we will have opened our lives to the wonders of God’s Kingdom in new and powerful ways. We might even wonder what took us so long to say “Send Me” in the first place.

Let’s Pray:

Almighty God,
I know that you are always with me, and that you continuously beckon me to be closer to you. You call me to embrace the possibility of my joining in your kingdom work. Lord, you know that I love you, and you know that I long for your presence in my life; you also know that, at times, I find it difficult to fully offer myself to you. Sometimes I try to reserve my own sense of control. At others, my sin stares back at me, telling me that your calling couldn’t possibly be true. And yet your call to serve you, and to serve others, is never-ending. In grace, you call me to step more deeply into your presence and to explore your call for my life. Help me to know that your call is based on who you are, not who I am; your work is what you will do through me, not what I will do alone. And so, when I hear you say, ‘Who will go?' give me the boldness to say, 'Here I am, send me.”
I pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Tim Robberts

The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada.  He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others.  He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca.  He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.

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