In Chapter 6, Isaiah describes seeing the Lord and hearing the voice of the Lord. Have you ever heard the voice of the Lord speaking to you? On this occasion, the Lord says to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send …”

Sometimes the Lord speaks to us through other people, but we may not realize it is the voice of the Lord. When I look back over the past few years, I understand now that the Lord was speaking to me—through someone else. In my case, a very dear friend kept encouraging me. But unlike Isaiah, who said, “Here am I! Send me,” I had all kinds of excuses. I said I was too old, not smart enough, too busy. I said there are other people more qualified than me. So, I said, “Not me, Lord.” But the voice of my friend—or God speaking through my friend—kept urging me until I finally relented and said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to hear God’s voice. At other times, I wonder if God spoke to me through other people prior to that, or even at the same time, but I did not recognize God’s voice.

I remember an advertisement several years ago for a cell phone carrier, and their tagline was, “Can you hear me now?” I imagine God may ask us that same question from time to time.

The Lord said, “Whom shall I send?” I believe God sends us all and uses us to speak to others in our lives, whether it be family, or friends, or even strangers we encounter. God speaks love, hope, welcome, and acceptance through us.

We never know when, and where, and through whom we might hear God speak.