Isaiah: HERE AM I, SEND ME

We have been looking at dangerous praying or Four Prayers That Shape a Life series,

Dangerous praying is bold praying - risk taking praying

Boldness in prayer is linked to faith, with the idea that large asking magnifies grace and adds to God's glory (HDM0427.TXT.pdf).

Isaiah utters a quick responsive prayer that may be the most unsettling of all.

Isaiah 6:1–8 KJV 1900

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 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.

David prayed "Search me oh God" - He was asking God to reveal what is wrong in me.

Moses prayed "Show me Thy glory" - He was asking God to reveal Himself to me.

Isaiah prays “Here Am I, Send Me” - He was asking God to reveal what He wants to do through me

Isaiah’s prayer is Not a prayer asking God to do something for us.

It is A prayer asking God to do something with us.

Isaiah prayed:

"Here am I; send me."

This is the prayer of a man who signs his name to a blank contract and lets God fill in the details later.

Most people want the details before they commit.

Isaiah committed before he knew the details.

The destination was blank.

The assignment was blank.

The cost was blank.

The timeline was blank.

But Isaiah's answer was already yes.

That is why this prayer is dangerous.

And that is why it is transformative.

We talked last time about Moses praying, “Show me Thy glory”

But before that moment - back on by the burning bush - when Moses got his call- Moses prayer was different:

Moses "Who am I?"

Jeremiah when he got his call makes two protests

He feels he lacks ability to speak God’s word and he prays

"I am but a child."

Gideon "My family is poor."

Jonah (ran away)

So while all of the others were saying, “Here Am I, Lord...Send Somebody Else”

Isaiah says: "Here am I. Send me."

A dangerous prayer

The danger is not merely that God might send us somewhere difficult.

The danger is that God might take us at our word.

Many centuries later Thomas à Kempis a 15th-century Monk and devotional writer prayed and expansion of Isaiah’s prayer like this:

“Lord, You know what is better for me; let this be done or that be done as You please. Grant what You will, as much as You will, when You will. Do with me as You know best, as will most please You, and will be for Your greater honor. Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. I am in Your hand; turn me about whichever way You will. Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things. Not for myself do I desire to live, but for You—would that I could do this worthily and perfectly!”

Thomas à Kempis. (1996). The Imitation of Christ. Logos Research Systems.

The prayer of Isaiah "Here am I; send me" is dangerous because it surrenders control of our future, but it is transformative because God always does more with a surrendered life than we could ever do with a self-directed one.

But this prayer came about as a response to...

I. THE VISION THAT BROKE HIM

A. It Came During A National Crisis

"In the year that king Uzziah died..."

Israel had lost its leader.

The nation was uncertain.

The future looked unstable.

Everything Isaiah trusted seemed to be shaking.

Yet when an earthly throne became vacant,

he discovered that Heaven's throne was occupied.

"I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up."

Sometimes God removes lesser securities so we can see the greater security.

The death of Uzziah became the doorway to the vision of God.

B. He Saw The Holiness Of God

The seraphim cried:

"Holy, holy, holy."

God is infinitely separate from sin.

Infinitely pure.

Infinitely glorious.

C. He Saw Himself Clearly

The closer Isaiah got to God,

the worse he looked to himself.

"Woe is me! for I am undone."

As long as we compare ourselves to others,

we can usually feel pretty good.

But when we stand beside the holiness of God,

all self-righteousness dies.

Isaiah didn't cry:

"Woe is them."

He cried:

"Woe is me."

Before there was a "Go,"

there had to be a "Woe."

II. THE GRACE THAT CHANGED HIM

A. God Addressed The Very Place Of His Sin

Isaiah confessed:

"I am a man of unclean lips."

Then God sent a seraph with a live coal.

The coal touched the very place Isaiah identified as unclean.

God's grace is specific.

God doesn't merely forgive in general.

He cleanses in particular.

B. The Coal Came From The Altar

The altar always points toward sacrifice.

Toward atonement.

Toward redemption.

Toward Christ.

Isaiah's cleansing was not self-improvement.

It was divine intervention.

C. The Woe Came Before The Go

The seraph declared:

"Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."

Only then does God ask:

"Whom shall I send?"

God never commissions Isaiah before He cleanses Isaiah.

Service flows from grace.

Mission flows from cleansing.

Witness flows from worship.

Transformation precedes assignment.

Notice the order:

He Saw God

"Holy, holy, holy."

He Saw Himself

"Woe is me."

He Received Grace

"Thine iniquity is taken away."

He Heard The Call

"Whom shall I send?"

He Answered

"Here am I."

This is the divine order.

Many people want:

Call me.

Use me.

Bless me.

Without ever being broken.

III. THE AVAILABILITY THAT SENT HIM

A. God Asked For A Volunteer

"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

God was not seeking ability.

God was seeking availability.

The question was not:

Who is the most talented?

Who is the most educated?

Who is the most experienced?

The question was:

Who is willing?

B. Isaiah Signed The Blank Contract

"Here am I; send me."

He did not ask where.

He did not ask how long.

He did not ask how difficult.

He did not ask how dangerous.

His answer came before the details.

In effect Isaiah said:

"Lord, my answer is yes.

Now what is the question?"

That is surrender.

That is consecration.

That is availability.

I also want us to notice - Isaiah does not merely say:

"Send me."

He first says:

"Here am I."

The Hebrew hinneni is not merely an answer.

It is self-presentation.

It means:

"I am here."

"I am available."

"I place myself at Your disposal."

The emphasis is not first on the mission.

The emphasis is first on the man.

Before God wants Isaiah's service, He wants Isaiah.

You might say:

Before Isaiah offered his feet, he offered himself.

Before he said "send me," he said "here am I."

Many Christians want to say:

"Use my talents."

God says:

"Give Me yourself."

IV. THE COST THAT TESTED HIM

A. This Was Not A Comfortable Assignment

God immediately informed Isaiah that many would reject his message.

He would preach.

Most would refuse.

He would warn.

Many would ignore.

He would remain faithful.

Results would largely belong to God.

B. Availability Is Hazardous To Comfort

If prayer carried a Surgeon General's warning label it might read:

WARNING:

This prayer may result in radical obedience, uncomfortable assignments, unexpected sacrifice, and complete surrender to the will of God.

C. Tradition Says Isaiah Paid The Ultimate Price

Ancient tradition records that Isaiah was eventually sawn in two.

Whether people accepted his message or not,

he remained available.

The prayer "Send me" is not a prayer for success.

It is a prayer for faithfulness.

V. THE APPLICATION THAT CHALLENGES US

The greatest mission field for many believers is not overseas.

It is across the street.

The prayer "Send me" is not merely for missionaries.

It is for Christians.

It is a daily prayer.

Send me to my family.

Send me to my workplace.

Send me to my neighbor.

Send me to the hurting.

Send me to the lost.

Send me wherever You want me.

The question is not:

"Can God use me?"

The question is:

"Am I available?"

Conclusion

David prayed:

Search me.

Moses prayed:

Show me.

Isaiah prayed:

Send me.

Search me exposed him.

Show me transformed him.

Send me mobilized him.

The most dangerous thing Isaiah ever did was not preach.

It was not confront kings.

It was not face opposition.

The most dangerous thing Isaiah ever did was say yes before he knew what God was going to ask.

He signed the blank contract.

And God filled in the rest.

Tonight God still asks:

"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

May our answer be:

"Here am I; send me."

Dan Henderson reports that a middle-aged man in the police station parking lot in

Harlington, Kentucky called out, "Brother are you saved?" When Dan did not reply, the man said,

"I just got out, I was arrested because I was drunk, give me $5," he said, "and I will pass the word

upstairs. I'll get down on my knees and pray for you." Dan asked why $5 and the man said, "I pray

better after I've had a few drinks." -- Associated Press

In his book, Purpose in Prayer, E. M. Bounds quotes these words from former college

professor and Confederate soldier, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson: "I have so fixed the

habit of prayer in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's

blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take a letter

from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward, never change my classes in the

lecture-room without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out and for those who come in."

My daughter-in-law was talking on the telephone to a friend, who asked for prayer. My

5-year-old granddaughter, Amy, came bouncing into the room, stood still for a moment to listen,

and heard her mother praying.

"Is that God on the phone?" Amy asked excitedly. "I need to talk to him, too!" -- Mildred

L. Clayton

An officer once complained to General Stonewall Jackson that some soldiers were making

a noise in their tent. "What are they doing?" asked the General. "They are praying now, but they

have been singing" was the reply. "And is that a crime?" the General demanded. The articles of

war orders punishment for an unusual noise was the reply. "God forbid that praying should be an

unusual noise in the camp," replied General Jackson -- Wesleyan Methodist

Jim Elliot, a missionary slain by the Auca Indians in the 1950's, once said: God is still on

His throne and man is still on his footstool. There's only a knee's distance in between.

The brilliant scientist Sir Isaac Newton said that he could take his telescope and look

millions and millions of miles into space. Then he added, "But when I lay it aside, go into my

room, shut the door, and get down on my knees in earnest prayer, I see more of Heaven and feel

closer to the Lord than if I were assisted by all the telescopes on earth."