Image from thinkandletthink.com
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ (Isaiah 6: 1-8)
Happy Wednesday to you, dear Friend! As I lift up my prayers to the Lord this morning I pray that you be lifted up and out of whatever has been getting you down. If it's pain, may God's soothing comfort lift you from pain; if it's the life of a dear one, may he/she be lifted up and out of harms' way and into the path that leads to life! In Jesus' name, amen!
One of my favorite hymns is Here I am, Lord. It became first known to me during Emmaus retreats and later it was in the United Methodist Hymnal. It's a simple, but powerful song inspired by this passage and I believe it has been key to many a life lost or running, that finally heard God speaking through these words so they could say, as the beautiful photo above, "Here am I. Send me." Boom! E. Stanley Jones, as a young minister was asked to go and speak to a group of other young people to invite them to consider a ministry among the people of India. He spoke his heart out and no one responded. Well, except him. He felt that the one God was truly calling was him. He moved to India where he had a tremendous impact on that nation and on many here in the United States. He was even elected bishop and he turned it down, wanting to remain among the people he had come to love as he served Jesus.
This past weekend, a great youth retreat was held near here. Out of the almost 300 youth there, ten accepted a call into ordained ministry! God is still moving and God is still asking, "Whom shall I send?" The work is ever before us. So many are not finding Jesus in the church, and the church is failing, for the most part, in making new disciples; God is still asking, "Whom shall I send?" And the tempter still works against God asking, "You really don't want to go in there (church); you'd rather do this or that; that place is full of hypocrites and haters, bigots and Bible-thumpers! The really cool people are out here. Join us!" It would appear that God is losing, but you and I have read the end of the book; God wins! But we also know many will be lost. If anything, if anyone is sent, why not you? A yes to God may not mean having to move halfway around the world to India, but it may mean being nicer to all; it may mean sharing from what you have in a way that points to Jesus. It may even mean walking across the room to speak to someone you usually don't want to speak to, or even sitting in a different pew or chair in your worship service. Ouch! A yes to God does involve a move of some sort.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as You search the world, search my heart. Where is it that I am to move? Is it out of my comfort zone? Is it out of my long-held beliefs? Is it into the realm of the spiritual and supernatural to fully trust You? Wherever it is, here am I. Send me. And I can't make it unless You come with me. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Start today by moving towards someone and inviting them to your church!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request: For Nellie and I as this Sunday, 2/10, I will be preaching in Kingsville at First United Methodist Church, and for the following Sunday, 2/17, when I will be preaching at First Presbyterian Church here in Seguin. And the Sunday after that I will be in St. Louis for the Called General Conference. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
