Here Am I, Lord: The Call and Commission in Today’s World
A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI
I. Introduction: The Prophet Who Heard the Voice
Among the great figures of the Old Testament, Isaiah stands tall as one of the most profound and poetic prophets ever called by God. Living and writing in the eighth century before Christ, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—four kings of Judah—Isaiah witnessed both the spiritual decline of his nation and the political upheavals that threatened its very survival. His name, Yeshayahu, means “The Lord is salvation,” and indeed, his entire message weaves together judgment and redemption, despair and hope, sin and grace.
Isaiah’s writings form one of the most theologically rich books in all of Scripture—sixty-six chapters that stretch from visions of God’s holiness to prophecies of the coming Messiah. Scholars have called Isaiah “the fifth gospel” because it so vividly anticipates the life, suffering, and triumph of Christ centuries before His birth. Unlike many prophets who simply declared oracles of doom, Isaiah combined poetic beauty, moral clarity, and divine vision. He saw beyond the immediate history of Israel to the sweeping purposes of God for all nations.
What sets Isaiah apart is not only the grandeur of his language but the intimacy of his calling. His ministry begins not with action but with awe—with a vision that breaks and remakes him. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw “the Lord, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.” He hears angelic voices crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Overwhelmed by divine holiness, Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.” Then, in a moment of grace, a seraph touches his lips with a live coal from the altar, saying, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Only then does Isaiah hear the divine question: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” His response—simple, immediate, and wholehearted—has echoed through millennia: “Here am I; send me.”
II. The Original Moment: From Vision to Vocation
Isaiah’s encounter in the temple is one of the most profound calling narratives in Scripture because it reveals the entire arc of spiritual transformation—conviction, cleansing, and commission. Before Isaiah can speak for God, he must be purified by God. The coal that touches his lips symbolizes both pain and purification; it burns away unworthiness and ignites a new fire of purpose. Isaiah learns that divine service is not earned by merit but granted through mercy.
This moment defines prophetic ministry for all who follow. Isaiah does not volunteer because he feels capable; he volunteers because he has been forgiven. His “send me” is not a boast of strength but a surrender of will. It shows that readiness in God’s kingdom comes not from talent or position but from humility and obedience. The prophet’s call reminds every believer that God does not ask for perfection, only availability. He does not seek the qualified; He qualifies the willing.
III. The Voice That Still Calls: Modern Applications of “Send Me”
Though centuries separate us from Isaiah’s temple vision, the same question still echoes: “Whom shall I send?” The call of God is not a relic of ancient prophecy—it is a living summons to every generation. In every time and place, men and women hear this question in the quiet chambers of conscience and the crowded corridors of daily life. The divine call may not come through visions of angels, but it comes through needs that cry out to be met, through injustices that demand courage, through moments of compassion that ask for response.
A. The Personal Call: Faith in the Ordinary
In a world that prizes self-assertion, Isaiah’s answer is radical: availability over ability. “Here am I” means being present before God—before the noise of ambition or distraction drowns out His voice. For the modern believer, this call begins in small, faithful acts: showing kindness when it’s inconvenient, forgiving when it’s undeserved, speaking truth when it’s unpopular. It may mean teaching a Sunday school class, visiting the sick, mentoring a child, or simply standing up for integrity in one’s profession.
The modern application of Isaiah’s “send me” is less about geography and more about posture. You may never cross an ocean, but you can cross the street. You may not go into a pulpit, but you can live the Gospel at your desk, in your classroom, or around your dinner table. In every generation, God asks not “Who is talented?” but “Who is willing?”
B. The Public Call: Faith in the Civic and Professional Realm
Isaiah was not just a preacher in the temple; he was an adviser to kings and a voice in national affairs. His message reached palaces and public squares alike. Likewise, today’s disciples are called to bring righteousness into their professions—to be prophetic voices in civic life. Whether one serves in government, finance, education, or healthcare, the “send me” spirit calls for moral clarity amid compromise.
In municipal councils, corporate meetings, or courtrooms, there is still a need for those who say, “Here am I” not to their own advancement but to the cause of truth and justice. The Isaiah spirit is the courage to stand for what is right even when it costs reputation or comfort—to call nations back to integrity, to defend the vulnerable, to remind leaders that power must serve people. In every public servant who leads with humility, in every teacher who shapes conscience, in every judge who loves mercy, the voice of Isaiah lives on.
C. The Global Call: Faith Beyond Borders
Isaiah’s vision of God’s glory filling the whole earth anticipates the Great Commission of Christ. “Send me” is a global phrase—it transcends race, nation, and time. In our interconnected world, the mission field is both next door and around the globe. It includes the refugee, the orphan, the imprisoned, the forgotten. To say “send me” today is to accept the responsibility of love in a wounded world.
It might mean serving on a mission trip, supporting a humanitarian cause, or developing technology that uplifts rather than exploits. It can mean using one’s influence, wealth, or voice for those who have none. The modern missionary is not only the preacher or doctor abroad, but also the scientist working for sustainable solutions, the artist telling redemptive stories, and the citizen advocating for peace and dignity.
IV. The Obstacles to Saying “Send Me”
Many never reach Isaiah’s moment of surrender because they stop at his first confession: “Woe is me.” Fear, inadequacy, and distraction paralyze potential prophets. The world today offers endless reasons to delay obedience—busyness, cynicism, self-doubt, or the illusion that someone else will go. The modern heart is often over-informed but under-committed.
Yet the secret of Isaiah’s response lies in trust. He did not know where he would be sent, what he would face, or whether he would succeed. God revealed only the call, not the destination. And still he said yes. The modern disciple must learn this same holy courage—the faith to say “yes” before knowing the cost. Real obedience precedes full understanding.
We also face cultural barriers. The age of irony mocks conviction; the age of comfort avoids sacrifice. But God still calls amid the noise. Every generation must rediscover the sacred simplicity of Isaiah’s answer: to stand up when called, to speak when it’s easier to stay silent, to go when it’s safer to stay home.
V. The Transformation of the Willing Heart
The power of Isaiah’s response lies in transformation. He entered the temple burdened by guilt and left commissioned by grace. The same God who cleansed his lips also shaped his life. Service becomes the fruit of forgiveness. Every believer who says “send me” enters this same pattern: encounter, cleansing, and calling.
Modern discipleship is not a part-time endeavor but a lifelong response. When we offer ourselves to God’s purposes, He transforms both us and the world around us. A single “send me” can ripple through generations. One teacher who sees their classroom as a mission field, one civic leader who governs with justice, one artist who creates with reverence—each becomes a vessel through which God’s light reaches others.
In this way, Isaiah’s call is not a moment but a movement. It is the continual surrender of the heart that says, “Use me, Lord, wherever You will.”
VI. Conclusion: The Call Continues
Isaiah’s cry, “Here am I, Lord; send me,” remains one of the purest expressions of faith in all of Scripture. It is both an answer and a challenge. Across the centuries, prophets, apostles, and saints have echoed it in their own tongues—Moses before Pharaoh, Mary before the angel, Peter beside the sea, Paul on the Damascus road. And still the question comes: “Whom shall I send?”
Every believer must decide whether to remain a spectator in the temple or to become a servant in the field. The call may come through Scripture, through conscience, or through the cry of human need. The answer must come from the heart: “Here am I.” In those three words lies the essence of Christian discipleship—the surrender of self to the will of God.
In a fractured world that hungers for hope, the echo of Isaiah’s voice is needed more than ever. The Lord still seeks those who will go—into classrooms, hospitals, city halls, neighborhoods, and nations—to live out His message of redemption. To every willing soul, He still asks the ancient question. And to every heart brave enough to respond, He still gives divine purpose.
“Here am I, Lord; send me.” May it not be only Isaiah’s prayer—but ours.
Reflective Prayer: “Here Am I, Lord”
O Lord, high and lifted up,
whose glory fills the earth and whose mercy touches even the most unworthy lips,
we come before You with humbled hearts.
We have heard Your question echo through the ages —
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
And though the world grows noisy with fear and distraction,
still Your voice breaks through.
Touch our lips as You touched Isaiah’s,
burn away our pride, our hesitation, our excuses.
Cleanse what is unclean,
renew what is weary,
and make our hearts burn again with holy purpose.
When the needs of the world seem too vast, remind us:
You do not ask us to save the world, only to serve in it.
You do not need our strength, only our surrender.
You do not require our perfection, only our presence.
So here we stand, O Lord —
in our cities, our classrooms, our homes, our workplaces.
Here we are, with our small voices and open hands.
Send us where love is lacking.
Send us where truth is silenced.
Send us where hope has grown dim.
And when we go, go with us —
that every act may carry the mark of Your grace,
and every word may bear the weight of Your holiness.
We pray this not in our own name,
but in the name of Jesus Christ,
the One who was sent and who sends us still.
Amen.
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