From Brokenness to Mission is the Human Pattern

Dr. Sproul conveys a powerful gospel dynamic here from Isaiah 6:

There is a pattern here, a pattern repeated in history. God appears, people quake in terror, God forgives and heals, God sends. From brokenness to mission is the human pattern. When God asked, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah understood the force of the word. To be “sent” meant to function as an emissary for God, to be a spokesman for the deity. In the New Testament the word apostle meant “one who is sent.” The Old Testament counterpart to the New Testament apostle was the prophet. God was looking for a volunteer to enter the lonely, grueling office of prophet. “Whom shall I send?”

Notice Isaiah’s answer: “Here am I, send me.” There is a crucial difference between saying, “Here am I” and saying, “Here I am.” Had he said, “Here I am,” that would have merely indicated his location. But he was interested in more than giving God his location. He said, “Here am I.” With these words Isaiah was stepping forward to volunteer. His answer was simply, “I will go. Look no further. Send me.”

From The Holiness of God