Sugar Fast Day 20
When God calls to you with direction for your life what is your response? Would you say, here I am Lord, or would you ask Him to wait? Yesterday in church my pastor was preaching on Abraham obeying God when he was asked to sacrifice his son Issac. What jumped out at me and has stuck with me since is Abraham’s response when God called his name, “Here I am send me”. I began wondering how many other people had the same response when called. I found six.
Abraham
In Genesis 22:1 Abraham is faithful when called to take his son to Moriah to be sacrificed. Again, when the Angel of the Lord calls for him to stop from sacrificing Issac he replies, “Here I am”.
Jacob
When God calls to Jacob in a dream he, too, responds “Here I am”. God then tells Jacob not to be afraid to go down to Egypt. God would make Jacob a great nation. (Genesis 46:2-6)
Moses
Moses is minding his own business when out of a burning bush he hears God calling him. He responds, “Here I am”. (Exodus 3:4)
Samuel
In 1 Samuel chapter 3 God calls to Samuel several times. Each time his response is the same, “Here I am”.
Isaiah
God is looking for someone to speak on his behalf to the people. ”Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8).
Ananias
In Acts Ananias answered God’s call to restore Paul’s eyesight and share Jesus with him. “There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord!” he said. “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there.” (Acts 9:10-11)
I am struck with the immediacy of these responses. Unlike Adam in the Garden of Eden who hid when God called out to him, these six men did not. It took great courage to step out and follow God’s call. After reading their stories I am left asking myself, “What will be my response?” What about you?