Responding to a Command

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8, NIV).

For as long as I can remember, whenever I call out to my Mom for help with something, to ask for a favor, etc. she responds with “just a minute.” It sometimes drives me crazy, and she knows that, which might be part of why she does it. Ha!

In reality, most often she responds that way because she’s doing something else–cleaning up the kitchen, doing laundry, working in her office, or any number of other productive things. And in her defense, she always comes, always helps, or does whatever I am asking of her. It just sometimes doesn’t happen on my timeline, which is immediately.

This is a human example that highlights the significance of what we find when we turn to the pages of the Bible. There are so many stories of people who respond immediately to the commands of Jesus. 

Matthew 4 tells the story of Jesus calling His first disciples. Verse 20 reflects the response of Simon (called Peter) and Andrew, while verse 22 highlights the similar reaction from James and his brother, John. Most importantly, they weren’t reactions of words, but rather action:

20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be the fishermen Jesus called to follow Him? They were human, so I’d be willing to bet they had questions, but that didn’t stop them from immediately going where Jesus was calling them. 

I really enjoy the book of Acts, which shares stories of the disciples as they share the Good News of the Gospel after Jesus’ resurrection, and it’s filled with so many stories of men and women who simply respond to the command of Jesus with full trust and obedience.

In Acts, the Lord appears in a vision to a man named Ananias. He is calling him to go to Saul to restore his sight. Ananias replies: Wait, you mean that dangerous guy that’s been persecuting followers of Jesus? Of course that was not his Biblical response, but I can imagine it was his inner dialogue that occurred while the Lord was appearing to him in the vision. 

Have you ever felt that way about something you feel like the Lord is calling you to do?

Excuse me, you want me to do what? 

You can’t be serious, Lord. I can’t do that.

No way, Jesus. That’s too dangerous.

Heck no. They won’t listen to me.

The Lord hasn’t appeared in a vision in my life, but He often gives me commands with an opportunity to respond. I’ve found myself reflecting on how I respond to those commands. Do I want my life to reflect a life of saying to the Lord: Just a minute? While I think it’s wise to pause, pray, and seek appropriate counsel, I also think it’s wise to consider the heart of the disciples, and Ananias. May we consider their responses, but also have the courage to same to the Lord the same thing our friend Isaish says to the Lord in Chapter 6, verse 8:

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