Here am I; send me
“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.”Isaiah 6:8
Reflection
Before saying "send me", Isaiah had an experience that changed everything. He saw the Lord "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up", heard the seraphim crying "holy, holy, holy", and felt the foundations tremble. Before that overwhelming holiness, Isaiah’s first reaction was not to offer himself for service — it was to collapse: "woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (v. 5). Notice the order: the vision of God’s holiness produced first the awareness of his own smallness. Every true call begins not with self-confidence, but with humility before the One who calls.
And then came grace. A seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a coal from the altar and declared: "thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged" (v. 7). Only AFTER being purified did Isaiah hear God’s question: "whom shall I send?". The sequence is important and full of hope: God does not call those who already feel worthy; He purifies and equips those who acknowledge they are unworthy. If you have ever thought "I am no good for God to use, I have too many flaws", know that this is exactly how Isaiah felt — and God touched, cleansed and sent him. The qualification to serve God is not perfection; it is the availability of a heart touched by grace.
Isaiah’s answer is one of the most beautiful in the Bible for its readiness: "Here am I; send me". Note that God asked an open question — "who will go?" — without detailing the mission, without explaining the difficulties, without guarantees of success. And Isaiah offered himself BEFORE knowing the details. He did not say "send me if it is easy", "send me after I know what it involves", "send me when I am more prepared". He simply said "here am I". That is the mark of a surrendered heart: saying "yes" to God before knowing the script, trusting the One who calls more than the details of the call.
It is worth noting that the mission God gave Isaiah was not easy — it would be a ministry of apparent little fruit, speaking to a people who would resist. Availability to God does not always lead to comfortable paths. But Isaiah offered himself anyway, because he had seen how great was the God who was sending him. Perhaps God is asking the same question today, in your heart: "whom shall I send?". Send for what? To love that difficult person, to serve in that place, to give that testimony, to take on that responsibility you have been postponing. The question keeps echoing, and God seeks hearts that answer not with excuses ("send me when I am ready"), but with readiness: "here am I; send me".
Prayer
Lord, give me first a vision of Your holiness that makes me humble, and an experience of Your grace that makes me clean — as You did with Isaiah. And then, when I hear Your question "whom shall I send?", may my heart answer with readiness, before knowing the details: here am I; send me. Amen.
Put it into practice
Ask God today: "where or to whom do You want to send me?" (a person to love, a service to take on, a testimony to give). And, instead of waiting to "be ready", take a first step of availability in that direction this week.
To reflect on
When God asks "whom shall I send?", have you answered with excuses ("when I am ready") or with readiness ("here am I")?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).