ESSAY-LIKE SUNDAY MORNING: WHO ME?

ESSAY-LIKE SUNDAY MORNING

ESSAY-LIKE SUNDAY MORNING: Today’s lesson was well taught by Sister Johnson. The lesson was entitled, WHO, ME? The Scripture was from Isaiah 6:1-8. The KEY VERSE was verse 8 which reads; “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!” (NIV)

I’m one of the American Heart Association’s CPR instructors. One of the points we emphasize to our students—in the event that they are in a situation which requires them to perform CPR on an unresponsive person—is to notify 911 as soon as possible. If there are by-standers, we instruct them to point to a specific individual and say to that person, in a firm tone, “YOU, call 911!”.

Some may ask, “Why do you point out a SPECIFIC person and demand that person to call 911?” Well, consider the alternative; what if the rescuer shouts out in the general direction of the by-standers; “HEY! SOMEONE call 911!” There is a good chance that most or all of them will assume—maybe even expect—that someone else will call while in reality NO ONE is calling. They’re all much too busy trying to see what is going on with our poor cardiac arrest victim. Let’s call this the “WHO, ME? Syndrome.” Meanwhile, our poor Good Samaritan is pumping away on the victim’s chest; thinking that help is on the way.

But God did just what AHA Instructors recommend against doing when he asked—of no one in particular— “Who will go for us?” but it worked for HIM, because HE’s God! Isaiah immediately responded, “Here I am. Send me!” Isaiah DEFINITELY did not have the “Who Me? Syndrome:”

Have you ever been talking to someone, just you and them, and you ask a question and their response is, “Who Me?” “Well who the heck else?”, you probably said, or at least thought to yourself, “It’s just you and me.” I’ve had that happen before, it’s frustrating.

What will YOU do when God calls? Will you look about, point a questioning finger at your own chest while raising a quizzical brow and ask God that silly and frustrating question, “WHO ME?” or will you be like Isaiah and state boldly, “HERE I AM GOD. USE ME!”