It was my first day of school. I was in first grade, going to a consolidated school out in the county where there was no kindergarten. The teacher asked, “Who can spell your name?” I was sitting by a distant cousin who raised her hand. I leaned over to ask her if she knew how to spell my name. She misunderstood the question and told me how to spell her name. I enthusiastically raised my hand just as the teacher looked my way. “Okay, Dudley, spell your name for us.” “J-o-y.” I proudly exclaimed.

I should have kept my hand down.

Back around 740 B.C. Isaiah the prophet raised his hand. It happened like this. King Uzziah had been a good king. His death was quite a blow for the whole nation, but especially for Isaiah, who had loved him greatly. It was during this time of shock that he had a life-changing vision. (Isaiah 6) He saw the Lord in glory so magnificent, the temple could hardly contain it all. There is no description of God Himself here, just the majesty of the worship surrounding Him. The hem of His robe was enough to fill the whole temple. Angelic beings proclaimed His glory over all the earth. The smoke of a holy fire filled the air. A loud voice shook the temple to its foundations.

What would your first reaction be, if you found yourself in the middle of all this glory? For Isaiah it was his own desperate sinfulness. The Lord was prepared to meet him in grace, though: Isaiah had barely spoken his guilt aloud when an angel took a burning coal from the altar and purged his lips, signifying his total forgiveness and cleansing.

Then the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And immediately Isaiah’s hand went up. “Here am I. Send me!”

This was no easy job that God was assigning. He knew the people were hard-hearted and wouldn’t listen, and He said so. He told Isaiah they would reject the messenger along with his message.

Still they needed to be told the truth, and Isaiah volunteered to speak it. It wasn’t expectations of applause or visions of popularity and success that had captured Isaiah. He had experienced the grace of God.

Everything changed for him, you see, when he saw God’s greatness and goodness. He had been anxious over the death of a good king and the prospect of a wicked successor following him on the throne. He was well aware of the lax spiritual condition of the people. All that anxiety was dissipated at upon his recognition that God was still on His throne, and that He still had control over everything.

Through the looming hopelessness, Isaiah saw God, and was assured that human sin is never greater than the Lord’s sovereign grace — not even his own sin, of which he had became so painfully aware. God took the initiative and cleansed him, the moment Isaiah confessed it. From here on nothing would matter but trusting God and obeying Him.

Of course he raised his hand. He knew he was heading into a tough assignment, but he also knew his God would sustain him.

Today’s spiritual leaders wonder how to motivate people to commit to God and his ways. Some use guilt tactics. Some use fear. Some promise rewards for faithfulness. All leaders want volunteers to raise their hands to serve. We could all learn from Isaiah. When people get a clear vision of God’s greatness and goodness, their hands will go up.

There may be other ways to attract volunteers for service, but none like leading them to experiencing the majesty of God’s grace. Those who raise their hands without that knowledge of God will likely be doing it for the rewards of worldly success. They will expect God to show them favor because they volunteered.

Does God have an assignment for you? Are you finding it hard to raise your hand for it? Maybe you’re afraid He has some trick up his sleeve, or you’ll be making a mistake like I did when I spelled J-o-y. You need not worry. Look long and hard at the beauty of Jesus. Just as God forgave Isaiah and prepared him spiritually for service, so also will He do for you,  if you will accept the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. He gives you access to the very throne room of God. He shares His own resurrected life with you.

Jesus is better than you realize. Find out for yourself. The one who created and redeemed all things is worthy of your trust — even the trust it takes to raise your hand.