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."
Isaiah 6:8
Deep down, we all have an itch to be part of a calling greater than ourselves. God's desire is to get His people involved in His greater work, not because He can't do it without us, but so that we can share in the glory and victory that Jesus Christ has already won for us.
I started learning how to play the guitar when I was 13 years old. As I was in the process of learning, I was given a cheap and not too impressive guitar. I often looked at that guitar and thought, "How is good music ever going to come out of this thing? I'm never going to get good with this guitar."
And then I met the person who would mentor me in guitar-playing. He took that guitar and turned it into a beautiful instrument that made the sweetest melodies I had ever heard.
Some of us are just like that guitar. We look at our lives and see the brokenness and imperfection and think, "How can I ever do great things for God if I'm like this?"
We're all sinful and we've all fallen short. We're just like the prophet Isaiah who, when he was exposed to the glory of God, could only say, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)
God's purpose in our lives, however, is not dependent on how faithful we are or how talented we are. Yes, God gives us talents to take care of and use to advance His kingdom. But our talents alone will not lead us to the fulfilment of God's purpose in our lives. Our eloquence can facilitate opportunities, but it will never fulfil our mission for God. Our charisma, money, resources and tools can help us fulfil God's plan, but on their own they cannot fulfil God's purpose.
The only thing that can carry us to God's plan is God's grace. It is God Himself who vindicates us and sanctifies us so that we may become part of a royal priesthood and a holy nation who can do wonderful things for God.
Joshua 3:5 declares, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
As we are called, we must first be consecrated, and it is only Jesus that has consecrated us and prepared us for great works. Without Jesus, we cannot fulfil God's purpose. But when we put our full faith and trust in Him to be our source of consecration, power, strength, resources, wisdom and strength, God will bring us to His greater plans and fulfil them so that we may share in His victory.
