Useful Utensil

 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”” Isaiah 6:8 NKJV

While it is simply bad for any man to be used against God’s purpose and plan, it is not good enough for anyone to be used without the alignment of his personal will with the will of God. There is a significant difference in the following terms: (1) being used by God; (2) being used for God; and (3) being useful to God. To be used by God appears to imply the use of a utensil against its freewill. For example, Jonah was used by God to preach to the city of Nineveh against his self will. God is sovereign, and His purposes and plans are superior to man’s intentions and preferences. Therefore, anyone can be used by God, especially against the will of the utensil. For the part of being used for God, this is a pitiable release of services by the utensil, without being mindful of the perfect will of God. For example, the services of Isaiah before his experience in God’s presence and his seeing the Lord “sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1)”, can be categorized as being used for God. When we delight merely in being used for God, we take credit in seeing our own proficiency in service rather than God’s sufficiency. Whereas, useful utensils of the Lord are God’s battle axes and weapons of war, anointed vessels and instruments of service, and His special mantles for ministration. Anyone who responds simply to God’s callout for “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” is a useful utensil; and would no longer be mindful of the danger posed by those who are either being used by God or being used for God.


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