Do you ever feel like plain vanilla? Ordinary? You hear about amazing people doing extraordinary things and think, “I want to be like that!” So, how do you so it? There is one simple step that will take you from ordinary to extraordinary, but few are willing to take it. It’s not that it’s physically or mentally challenging. In fact, it’s a rather easy task. You simply raise your hand.
So how does raising your hand take you from ordinary to extraordinary? Well, the transformation doesn’t come because of the physical act of raising your hand, it comes as a result of what you raise your hand for? What are you volunteering for with that simple act?
Rather than tell you, allow me to show you. Isaiah 6:8 says,
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah overheard a conversation with the Lord. He wasn’t being sneaky about it, hiding behind a door or anything. God knew Isaiah was there when He said, “Whom shall I send?” God had a task. He was looking for someone to carry it out.
Isaiah heard there was a need and he volunteered. He raised his hand.
We don’t know if Isaiah knew what the need was or what it involved, we only know He knew God needed someone to do something and Isaiah said, “I’ll do it. I’m here. Pick me.”
It doesn’t take long to figure out there are a lot of needs in our world. If I started listing them, you’d still be reading the list tomorrow. Now God could speak, as He did in the book of Genesis, and create solutions, but for reasons beyond our comprehension, He has chosen to work through people more often than not. So, He is looking for people to step up to the plate, raise their hand and volunteer to be part of the solution. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says,
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
He is looking for those who will volunteer to do the work, to take the stand, to be the voice, and when He finds them, He will strengthen them and equip them for task [Hebrews 13:20-21].
Are you still not convinced that by raising your hand, you can go from ordinary to extraordinary? Henry Blackaby makes the point easier than I can.
When God was ready to judge the world with a flood, He came to Noah. When He desired to build a nation for Himself, He turned to Abraham. When He heard His children groaning under Egyptian bondage, He appeared in a burning bush to Moses. They were three of the most ordinary of men. But God had work to do, and He knew just who to do it with. God has always given His people assignments that are too big for them to handle alone, so that a watching world can see- not what we can do- but what God can do.”
What problems do you see in the world today that need someone extraordinary to step in? That isn’t a rhetorical question. I really want you to respond. Let’s make a list right here in the comments section. What are the huge problems that need to be solved in our world today? I’ll start us off.
- Human Trafficking– We need to see modern day slavery, sex trafficking and labor trafficking, come to an end.
What’s next? What do you see as number two on the list?
2. brokenness in relationships, as well as broken families and divorce
Sally,
You are so right. Broken relationships are a huge problem in our world today and they lead to a slew of other problems. How can you be part of the solution?
Susan
Bringing God back into the public eye. We have taken prayer out of schools, God out of the court houses, and now we are paying the price. We need our children to feel safe enough to pray anywhere they want without being punished. Our nation was founded on freedom of religion, so we need to have the right to speak up for our God without looking over our shoulder.
Andrea, I agree. Our nations problems increased exponentially when we started kicking God out of our schools and government. Our nation was founded on freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.