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
Something that is absolutely necessary for the work of God to go forward is a spirit of volunteerism. The ministries of our churches depend upon it. Those who care for our children in the nursery, the ones that drive the church buses, the voices that bless us as they sing in the choir, the ushers and greeters who cheerfully welcome us, the faithful givers who financially support the church ministries, those who teach our Sunday School classes, the servants who minister to the elderly in the nursing homes, etc., are all a part of this army of volunteers. They do not receive financial compensation. They are not forced to serve. They are not serving that they might earn favor with God or merit His grace. For grace to be grace, it is unmerited and undeserved. Like Isaiah, these faithful servants offered their services. “Here am I; send me.”
Every church needs volunteers, many of them. There has always been a shortage of laborers. When Jesus looked upon the multitudes, He saw them as sheep without a shepherd and described the need in these words: “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2). There remains a great need for workers. Many years ago, a pastor of a very small congregation said to me, “We have a great need for workers here in our small church. It is not like it is where you are in a larger congregation.” I said to this sincere and discouraged preacher, “Brother, every church, regardless of the size, is in need of more workers.”
What caused Isaiah to say, “Here am I; send me?” The Bible says that he “heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah heard this divine appeal for workers. Have you heard this plea from Heaven for volunteers? Have you heard the Spirit of God in your heart calling for laborers? Have you heard the Word of God declaring the plight of the heathen and the urgent need for soldiers of the cross? Isaiah heard and responded. Thank God for the many volunteers who staff the multiple ministries of our churches, reaching out and caring for those in our communities. Where would our ministries be without them? God is still calling. The need is great and growing every day. Can you hear His voice? How will you respond?