After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” …7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.”… 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Genesis 22:1,7,11a ESV
At the end of a field trip, the children were loaded on the bus and the teacher needed to make sure all of the children were with them. She did a role call of the students names. “Answer, “here”, when I call your name.” She went quickly through her list until she got to one name. She repeated her instructions to say “here” when your name was called. Still no answer. I was getting a little apprehensive that a child might be missing. She repeated her instructions again asking the child to respond. I turned around to watch the verbal exchange. The child was sitting right beside her, looking at her while she was looking at him. Only, he was not saying “here”. It was obvious to him that she could see that he was on the bus, why did he have to answer? He finally said “here”.
The same Hebrew word was used in all three responses that Abraham gave to his name being called- Hinneh translated as “here I am”. Most of the time the word is translated Lo!Behold!. In response to a call, it indicates the readiness of the person to listen or obey. Merriam Webster defines “behold” as to gaze upon or perceive through sight.
Like the child on the bus who needed to respond, God expects a response from us when He speaks. We need to include a readiness for God to observe that we are “all there”. Half commitment and distractions are not what God deserves nor expects when He calls to us. What could help us engage God at a deeper level?
- Submission to His Lordship. Nothing gets our attention better than when we have to acknowledge God owns all that we have. We have been bought with a price and we now belong to our Savior. Our use of time, money, possessions all belong to Him to use for His purposes. He is a loving Father who blesses us with good things that we enjoy, but they are all His. Regularly acknowledge His leading in your life over…how you use your time, what you spend your money upon, the words that you speak, and your being a witness for Jesus.
- Answer God. Anticipate God speaking and you responding. Prayer is talking with God which includes both listening and speaking. Scriptures are full of illustrations when God speaks and people respond. Ask God for the courage to embolden your faith to hear and speak with God regularly. Intimacy expects dialogue. So, what are you and God talking about? What theme has He been sharing with you and how have you responded? How has He been leading you to green pastures to restore your soul? What has He been saying about your money, time, possessions, or your ministry? When you present your request, what does He say back?
May you be blessed with a vibrant relationship with God who is “beholding you” while you are “beholding Him”. Present tense, “here, I am”, is a great indicator that God has your full and undivided attention. When God calls your name – answer “here!” It is not the time for silence, distractions or excuses.
Blessings Love y’all