My oldest child is enamored with American Ninja Warrior. A while back, I got an email advertising tickets to one of the tapings for the current season. I took him and his buddy, and we went down to Universal Studios Hollywood and watched the Los Angeles finals on the famous New York Street back lot. He got to see some of the athletes he has followed for years. The course the men and women compete on is exceptionally challenging. Very few make it through the whole course. God asked the prophet Isaiah “Are you up to the challenge?” and Isaiah responded by saying “Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.”
Who Will Go?
By the time Isaiah arrives on the scene, God has decided that Israel will go through a time of judgment. He will send them into captivity in the kingdom of Babylon. God is looking for a prophet who will go and tell them, and Isaiah is up to the challenge. The LORD asks “who will go for us?” and Isaiah responds by saying “Here I am.” He was up to the challenge, and the book bearing his name has sixty-six chapters recording what God spoke through him.
Are You Up To the Challenge?
There will be times in your life that God will ask you if you will go where he needs to use you. Are you up to the challenge? Will you tell the LORD “Send me”? It won’t be an easy assignment, and you will have to pay the price, but the result will be more than worth the struggle. That’s how God works. He asks you to step up and then provides the necessary tools and skills to do it. He won’t lay out the plans to you beforehand but will ask you to trust Him.
Prepare Yourself
Many people don’t answer the call when Jesus asks. Either out of fear or busyness, they miss out on an opportunity to be stretched and grow in their faith. To be ready, you need to prep yourself. Start by serving in your church wherever the need is. As you do this, you will see God in a fresh new way. That will increase your faith more than you thought possible. Then next time He calls you will be ready. Are you up to the challenge?