Whom Shall I Send?
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The hymn, “Hark The Voice of Jesus Crying” (Also called “Here I Am, Send Me”), Methodist Hymn 436 (GBH 146), was authored by Dr. Daniel March.
March, Daniel (Doctor of Divinity) was an American Congregational minister who lived in the 17th century. He published many works, one of which is Night Scenes in the Bible. He is well known for his hymn “Hark, the voice of Jesus crying,” [given in the American Methodist Episcopal Hymnal, 1878, in 2 stanzas; in Sankey’s Sacred Songs & Solos, 1878, in 6 stanzas; and in the Scottish Hymnal 1884, in 5 stanzas; in each case of 8 lines].
This is what Dr. March himself wrote about the hymn, “Hark ! the voice of Jesus crying,”
“It was written at the impulse of the moment to follow a sermon I was to preach in Clinton St. Church to the Philadelphia Christian Association on the text Isaiah 6:8. That was some time in 1868.”
The original text in full is in The Hymnal, (Presb.), Phila., 1895, No. 361. Dr. March declines to accept the interpolations which have been made in this hymn.
In response to the devotional entitled, “The Nature Of The Call” my long time friend, Dr. Solace Ninye, graciously supplied the following six stanzas of this hymn with the following note:
“This message reminds me of one of my all-time favorite hymns which I’ve copied below. There’s something we can all find to do. Together we can get the work done. Long but powerful. Enjoy it.”
Please find the six stanzas below:
“Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,
Who will go and work today?
Fields are ripe and harvests waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?
Long and loud the Master calls us,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
Here am I, send me, send me?
If you cannot cross the ocean,
And the distant lands explore,
You can find the lost around you,
You can help them at your door;
If you cannot give your thousands,
You can give the widow’s mite;
What you truly give for Jesus,
Will be precious in His sight.
If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked,
With the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Savior’s waiting arms.
If you cannot be the watchman,
Standing high on Zion’s wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
Offering life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties
You can do what heaven demands;
You can be like faithful Aaron,
Holding up the prophet’s hands.
If among the older people,
You may not be apt to teach,
Feed My lambs, said Christ, our shepherd,
Place the food within their reach.
And it may be that the children
You have led with trembling hand,
Will be found among your jewels,
When you reach the better land.
Let none hear you idly saying,
There is nothing I can do.
While the lost of earth are dying,
And the Master calls for you;
Take the task He gives you gladly;
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calls you,
Here am I, send me, send me.”
This great hymn, that inspires us to evangelism and missions, was inspired by a sermon based on Isaiah 6:8.
READ Isaiah 6:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
Then I said,
“Here am I! Send me.”
(Isaiah 6:8 NKJV)
In this text under the title, “Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet” in the New King James Version, Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord on His throne, with the six-winged Seraphims above Him; covering their faces with two wings, their feet with two wings and flying with the other two wings; and crying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!” (vv. 3)
Isaiah was terrified when he saw the vision and said,
“Woe is me, for I am undone… For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” (vv. 5)
But one of the Seraphims came to touch his mouth a live coal and said,
“Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”(vv. 6)
In today’s text, from Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah said he also heard the voice of the Lord saying:
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
And he responded,
“Here am I! Send me.”
The kingdom of God is perpetually involved in what I call “A Chain Rescue Mission” where every “rescued” immediately becomes a “rescuer!” Picture a shipwreck. Once people are pulled out of the water, and regain some energy, they immediately start helping to pull others out of the water! A spiritual shipwreck was what happened in Genesis 3, and a Rescue Mission has been on since! No time to rest, because the adversary does not rest, and people are drowning!
Are you a child of God? Is your iniquity taken away, and your sin purged? Then God is asking you:
“Can I send you?”
MEMORY VERSE
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”.
(Isaiah 6:8)
QUESTIONS
- Has the LORD rescued you?
- What would have happened if no one came to you ?
- Do you know you are also supposed to help rescue others?
PRAYER TIP
Father, open our eyes to see how people are drowning in sin, and perishing. Help us see the urgency of Your call.
A rendition of “Hark The Voice of Jesus Calling,” By Sonny Badu
CREDITS
- HYMNARY.ORG, “Here I am, Send Me,” https://hymnary.org/text/hark_the_voice_of_jesus_calling_who_will#Author
- JOHN JULIAN, “Dictionary of Hymnology,” New Supplement (1907)
URGENT CALL
By nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God. We ultimately face the wrath of God!
But God in His mercy and love gives us a chance to reverse this trend, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.
The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved.
Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.
It is a very personal decision. No one can make that decision for you.
If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God!
Do you want to make that decision today?
Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for
guidance if you want to
make that decision.
We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page.
God richly bless you.
SPECIAL GRATITUDE
Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website.
We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled.
We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission; and we thank you for sticking with us through this journey.
God richly bless you.
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https://testimonydevotional.org/
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