Songs: “I, the Lord of sea and sky”

I wonder if you have found that there are some songs that stay with you, that have tracked your life. What are yours? At college Ralph McTell came and performed at folk night in the student’s union and I was captivated by his “Streets of London” and whenever I hear it the memories come flooding back - it has challenging lyrics that still touch me. There are many other songs that challenge me, but the one I’m thinking of now I still wrestle with, and how to respond to its call. It’s “I, the Lord of sea and sky.” The chorus is so challenging; in response to the question “Whom shall I send?” we sing 

“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”

Apparently, Dan Schutte wrote this song in 1981. It is based on the message found in Isaiah 6:8 and 1 Samuel 3. In Isaiah we see the Lord God Almighty asking whom He shall send and Isaiah responding positively to God's call. In his response, Isaiah says, “Here I am, send me”.
 
This month, June, is when we think about our church Gift Day. This year we have chosen three charities to focus our support on, two local ones, Riverbank Trust and LVA Trust, the third being MAF, Mission Aviation Fellowship. If you’ve not heard of MAF then take time to look at their website and to find out what fantastic work they do, flying missionaries, supplies and mobile clinics to all parts of the world. These sentences from their website give a glimpse of what they do and how our support will enable their work: 

“When you give, you’ll help heal the sick, build communities, support local churches, and bring the love of Jesus. When you pray, you are equipping our on-field team to bring God’s love to some of the most remote places on earth.”

So, back to the song. Yes, I do want to respond when I sing those words, but what does that look like for me? Well, it’s to try to see where God is leading me each day, and to focus my prayers and support for charities such as these are ways of holding God’s people in my heart. In truth there is so much more that I could be doing.
 
So please be thinking and praying about what your response is to this very challenging chorus: 

“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”

Photo by Alabaster Co on Unsplash