Engaging in God’s Heart for the Nations: 30-Day Devotionalනියැදිය

Call and Response – Day 1

Jessica Theaderman, OMS Global Ministries

Isaiah 6:8 ESV

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’”

Your phone rings. It’s a number you don’t recognize. Thinking it’s probably a telemarketer, you ignore it. Moments later, your phone rings again. This time, you see that it’s your boss. Waiting until the third or fourth ring, you answer with a hesitant, “Hello?” Later, you get another phone call and see it’s your spouse or your best friend. You immediately answer with a cheerful, “Hey!”

Our response to a phone call typically reflects the nature of our relationship with that person. So ... what if we received a call from God? How would we respond?

In Isaiah 6, we see the call and response of the prophet Isaiah. When God asks, “Who will go?” Isaiah does not hesitate to respond wholeheartedly, saying, “Here I am! Send me.”

The Hebrew word used here is hineni, which means “Here I am.” But it’s much more than that. It’s a posture of the heart that expresses a total readiness to give of ourselves. It’s an offer of complete availability and surrender to whatever God is asking, often before we fully know what will be asked of us.

God’s call to partner with him and his work around the world looks different for each of us. Some he may call to serve overseas as missionaries, others to serve on short-term mission trips, or in local cities. Others, he may call to give financially to support missions.

Regardless of what God calls us to, what matters most is the posture of our hearts when we answer.

When God calls, how will you answer?