"Here am I, send me." - Isaiah

Isaiah's famous response in the sixth chapter of the book that bears his name has been inspiring Christians for two millennia.

What strikes me is that Isaiah's reply is not in response to a particular mission or even the need of people, it's a response to God. Isaiah didn't even know what he was signing up for yet, but he had seen "the Lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted", so he responded. Isaiah saw God and just cried out "YES!" Isaiah said "Yes" to a PERSON before he even knew what the assignment was.

Later he was told that the people to whom he was being sent would not understand, would be dull to his message and that he would see devastation and destruction. I can only imagine that it was that encounter with the Manifest Presence of God that sustained Isaiah during that difficult ministry assignment.

The call to go and serve is ultimately a response to God, not people.