Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
The LORD is looking for people who will go for him.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
He is looking for people who will proclaim his message from the housetops. He knows that the main thing holding us back is fear. We fear physical consequences to our bodies more than spiritual consequences but this is backwards. We need to learn that suffering does not mean we are abandoned or that the LORD has forgotten us.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
We fear that we aren't the ones who should be proclaiming the message. It should, we think, be someone qualified. After all we are men of unclean lips. But the LORD himself qualifies us (see Romans 8:30). He himself purifies our lips. The ember from the altar has given way to the Eucharistic bread. This bread touches our lips and heals us. As we heard yesterday, the Holy Spirit himself will give us the words we are to proclaim.
The thing that matters the most is we realize the urgency of the proclamation. This can only happen when we know the majesty of the one we proclaim. This is why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10). It is this holy fear which gives life to our faith. It is an experiential reverence and awe before God. It casts out fear. And yes, it does give us a sense of our unworthiness. But this is only so that we can rely completely on grace.
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Let us seek revelation of the glory of the LORD. Let us open our hearts so that he can reveal himself to us. May that revelation motivate us to shout from the rooftops how great is our God and LORD Jesus Christ.
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