A Prayer to Accept God’s Calling
By Kyle Norman
Bible Reading
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Who shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am, Send me.” - Isaiah 6:8
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When I first heard Jesus call me to be a priest, I had a hard time accepting this path for me. I was 15 years old and socially awkward. I wanted to be accepted by my peers. Announcing that I wanted to go into ministry was not something that would help my popularity. So, I had a hard time vocalizing any type of assent to this calling. For close to a year, I refused to answer. And yet, the call of God was persistent. The whisper of God never stopped.
This passage from Isaiah is challenging in the deepest of ways because it holds before us a question that is asked in the heavens, beyond all time and space. “Who will go for us?” Will we respond like Isaiah? What is Jesus asking you to do?
Responding to our calling is not that easy. It’s not as simple as it sounds. These five words, “Here I am, send me,” are perhaps the hardest words to say in our life of faith. They scare us. They scare us because they demand both radical trust and radical vulnerability. If we are to say these words, we must leap into the unknown. We daringly take a step into the place or ministry where God calls us. No matter who you are, no matter how many times we may have done so, this is always a scary endeavor. To trust in the Lord is to hand over the reins of our lives.
But to say “send me” also means we offer to God the fullness of who we are. Stepping forward in faith demands a spirit of honesty. There can be no pretending, no bravado, no hiding. God knows who we are in the deepest way, and it is that person whom God has called, and so it must be that person who responds. This is a leap we find hard to take. It becomes far too easy to say things like “send someone else” (Moses), or “I am too young” (Jeremiah), “I am too old” (Sarah), or “I am too sinful” (Peter).
Even Isaiah rejects his calling at first. Before his act of radical acceptance, Isaiah is overcome with a sense of his own sinfulness. He laments, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips!” Isaiah doesn’t see himself as someone fit for the prophetic task.
There is comfort in knowing that the great pillars of faith struggled with these words themselves. If we find these words hard to speak in our lives, we stand in good company. But while we may rest in such camaraderie, the lives of these saints testify to the importance of accepting God’s call. Each person we see in Scripture, who maybe questioned their ability to accept God’s charge, found themselves unable to resist the call of Christ. Yes, we can feel comforted that saints of the past wrestled with their callings, but we should also feel challenged to follow in their footsteps and accept the call of Christ on our lives.
God doesn’t call us because we have it all figured out or because we are perfect in our faith. And so, accepting our calling isn’t dependent upon some criteria of perfection we must meet. Ultimately, accepting our call isn’t an act of spiritual power; it’s one of trust. For Isaiah, it is only when the Spirit of God comes and touches his lips that he feels he can accept his calling. The point is that God worked in the very place that Isaiah looked upon as his weakness to confirm his calling on his life. When Isaiah accepts his calling, he becomes one of the most significant prophets of the Old Testament, speaking the most about the life and ministry of Jesus. When we accept our calling, who knows how many people may be led to a deeper experience of Jesus in their lives?
Let’s Pray:
Almighty God.
I know that you are always with me and that you always beckon me to step further in my faith. I know that your calling on my life is constant. Lord, you know I love you; you know I desire to do your will, but sometimes I find it difficult to fully offer myself to you. My insufficiencies, faults, and sins stare back at me. I trust your calling, O Lord, but I doubt my ability to enter it. But still, you call again and again. Help me to see your vision for my life. As you touched Isaiah’s lips, may your power work in the place of my doubt and weakness. Give me boldness, resolve, and faith. Help me to know that my calling is about having you work in me and through me, and give me the strength to say, “Send me”.
This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/pcess609
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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