Practice Time
Isaiah 6:8
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.”
I’ve had the privilege of coaching a soccer team this autumn for my son and eleven other kids ranging from ages six to ten, and whenever I’ve asked for a volunteer to try some new drill, every voice rings out enthusiastically: “Pick me!” None of the kids actually care what the drill is—I could ask them to run five miles or head the ball ten times or do fifty push-ups—they just want to be the one chosen. And that’s the wonderful thing about childlikeness, isn’t it? So when I read of Isaiah’s heavenly commissioning here, I can’t help but picture him as a little kid before His divine Coach. Effectively, God hasn’t even laid out the task yet, but Isaiah’s already on his feet, with hands in the air, shouting, “Pick me!” It strikes me that practicing faith often means volunteering for a task that hasn’t been laid out yet.
So Christian, today, don’t be too grown-up in your obedience to God; don’t demand all the logistics up front. Be childlike. Listen for the Coach’s call—and be ready to go.