Well, are you?

"He will hear you"

Job 22:27

I noticed something interesting today, in Genesis 22.  It's the chapter that tells the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to be in obedience to God.  It's a hard chapter to read, especially as a parent.  It's only made palatable by the knowledge that God did the same thing for us.  That fact is such a reminder to me that His compassion for us is based on understanding.  God so loved the world, He gave His only Son... He knows about sacrifice. 

But anyhow, what I noticed was the frequency ~ three times ~ of the words, "Here I am."  First, at the beginning of the chapter, when God first calls his name, Abraham replies by saying, "Here I am."  The second time is in verse 7, when Isaac speaks to his father, and Abraham replies, "Here I am, my son."  Finally, there's verse 11, when the Angel of the Lord calls to Abraham, telling him not to hurt Isaac.  When Abraham heard his name, he responded in that same way.  Sort of a habit for him, wouldn't you say?

After noticing this, I went searching to find other instances of that phrase.  Actually, there aren't many.  Well, not as many as I had hoped to see.  Makes the ones that are there, really stand out.  My next wonder was, how often has someone said it to God?

So, there's Abraham.  And then in Genesis 31 and 46, Jacob.  In Exodus 3, Moses.  In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel (repeatedly). 

The only other instance is Isaiah, in chapter 6.  Isaiah actually says, "Here am I," but we'll count that.  His sincerity is the same, even if the words are slightly reversed.   

So, have you ever said that to God?  Seems like there is a catch.  You might be thinking that it's the kind of thing you might say only in response to God calling your name, but I think that's a cop-out.  You don't have to hear your name, in a deep voice, from the clouds, to know that He is waiting to talk to you; that He has something to say to you.

In fact, I wonder if maybe we don't hear Him because we don't have a "here I am" attitude.  Maybe we need to have a heart of willingness before He will tell us what He would have us do. 

It might make a nice daily greeting, from you to Him.  "Good morning, Lord.  Here I am."  And then just you watch and see what happens.   You will not be ignored.

~ "I Am Who I Am" ~

Exodus 3:14

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