Here be dragons!

DAILY BYTE

I have a real fascination for medieval maps. The picture of the world which they portray is often quite different from the one that we're familiar with, because there were still so many uncharted and unexplored parts of the world in those days. The unexplored parts were often described on those maps with terrifying phrases like, "Here be dragons!" or "Here be monsters!"

For most ordinary folk, the fearsome prospect of these frightening creatures made them very grateful that they lived where they did, safe and secure. But for a few of adventurous spirit, there was something captivating about these strange, unknown lands. And so they would set off on great voyages of exploration and discovery - Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, David Livingstone, Roald Amundson. These were the great explorers, who in turn captured the imaginations and stirred up the adventurous spirit even within those ordinary folk who stayed at home.

It's risky stuff venturing off into the unknown. For what if, in those unexplored places, there really are dragons and monsters. As I write this it is 5 days (112 hours and 43 minutes to be exact) before I attempt to run the Comrades Marathon. Although I have done so on a few occasions before, the truth is that the territory beyond 56kms remains largely uncharted for me. I can't help but wonder what dragons and monsters may be lurking in those far off places, deep into ultra-marathon territory. This is risky stuff. But with it comes the possibility of exciting new discoveries, new experiences, new understandings, new ways of seeing the world.

Adventures of this kind are not restricted to the great global explorers or the Comrades runners amongst us. All of us can venture forth as explorers into areas of exciting discovery. In fact, this is precisely what God has in mind for us when God calls us to the life of faith. This is what happened to Isaiah (Is 6:1-8). Having seen the holiness of God in the temple - something he had never even imagined before - and having overheard God asking "Whom shall I send?" he takes a risky, adventurous step into a whole new world of obedience, when he replies, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah didn’t know where that response of risky commitment would take him, or the dragons he might encounter in the uncharted territories that he would explore. But having caught a glimpse of the holiness of God, he knew the One to whom he was offering his life. And so he was able to do so with a courageous, trusting confidence.

What new territory are you being called to explore? As you boldly step out in risky obedience, you will discover that the more accurate and truthful description of that place is not ‘Here be dragons!’ but rather, ‘Here be God!’

PRAY AS YOU GO

Great Adventurer God – thank you that the life that you call us to is never dull or dreary. But is a life that requires our courageous commitment and risky obedience, as we are stretched and grown in all kinds of ways. Remind us that no matter how terrifying it might seem, you are the God who has promised always to be with us. And truly, with you all things are possible. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Isaiah 6:1-9a

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 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!” He said, “Go!”