By Gina Caswell Kelly
Throughout the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, we see Bible characters respond to God’s voice with a simple, “Here I am.” In Genesis 22, Abraham replies with “Here I am” when God spoke. In Genesis 31, Jacob responded with “Here I am” when God spoke to him in a dream. In 1 Samuel, when Samuel finally realizes he is hearing God call to him, he responds with “Here I am.” And then in Isaiah, it states, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then said I (Isaiah), “Here I am! Send me.”
There are many others I could site, but the one in Isaiah is my favorite. It is my favorite because it represents what “Here I am” actually translates to be. When people responded to God with “Here I am,” it was the equivalent of saying, “Here I am, ready to be used by You.” And this is where it all begins.
We have got to do a better job of responding to God’s call on our lives. We are living in a world of hurting people who just need Jesus. There is a song I have been hearing lately that says, “Honestly, I think we just need Jesus.” And it is the truth. We have the answer to the problems facing our world. Facing our own families, even! But, are we answering “Here I am” when the opportunity to speak Jesus over them pops up? More times than not, we would rather talk about anything other than Jesus to the world around us. I am as bad as anyone, but I still don’t get it.
If you had the cure for cancer, wouldn’t you share it? If you have a wonderful gift picked out for someone, would you just wrap it up and keep it at your house and never give it to them. When someone asks you for directions to a certain place, don’t you gladly start telling them how to get there? Of course we would share! Of course we would give! Of course we would guide! Then why are we so hesitant to share Jesus with our friends and family? I have members of my own family that don’t know the wonderful saving grace of our Lord. They don’t know that it is about more than just going to heaven. It is about the joy of knowing He is with you daily! I was talking to one of my family members recently about Jesus and was told, “I really don’t like it when you start talking about God to me.” I asked if this person thought that I would spend as much of my life focused on listening to God’s Word, spreading God’s Word, and teaching God’s Word if I didn’t think it was that important. That comment was just shrugged off.
Oh my people! We have got to be better at readily responding “Here I am!” We have got to be about the business of spreading God’s love to this hurt and dying world. Don’t sit quietly on what you know will make a difference!
Go out and Make a Difference!
