Here I am Lord, send me. (Isaiah 6:8)

Prayer is a gift, isn’t it?! We connect in simple words to the Creator of creation. That alone is astounding. We stand together to offer up our praise and our needs, and here we discover truly what human relationships are intended for. It’s an honor to pray TO God WITH others.

It’s here we learn that to be in relationship we must first learn to be a servant.

His Servant.

Isaiah came to accept this. It wasn’t easy. As an influential leader in Israel Isaiah served his nation by delivering God’s messages. The role brought him great authority. But one day he actually encountered God’s presence. His certainty about his noble purpose and inspiring vision melted away. That experience realigned his identity. He didn’t own his life any more than he had chosen to be born. All he could do was respond, “Here I am Lord, send me!”

As Jesus would later express it, “Father, not my will but yours…”

If you dare, make this your prayer.

Lord,

Here I am. I am not hiding. Send me on the assignment you choose. I am your servant; you are my Leader. Send me… to speak up at the risk of losing face, to invest my assets for returns I can only cash in eternity, to give away my talents in secret, to lose my life while the battle still seems hopeless. Here I am…

Amen

Before I can be trusted to wield the blessings, authority, power and resources of God – this IS his intent – I must come forward with hands raised in surrender. I’m not first a servant leader; I am first a servant submitting to a Leader.