Punch in to get started. “Here I am” is the way 6 prominent men in the Bible “punched in” and made themselves available to God. They were Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah and Ananias. Check out this brief recap and see if you can apply this to your life.
Abraham
Genesis 22:1 God’s next words were that Abraham should sacrifice Isaac. When Abraham stepped into his call to be the father of the nation of Israel and the father of all who would inherit eternal life, he followed through on his response to God in this verse and story. Abraham says it again in Genesis 22:11 when the Angel of the Lord stops him from slaying Isaac.
Jacob
Genesis 31:11 When God appeared to Jacob in a dream, Jacob said “Here I am.” He went on to leave Laban and begin the nation that would be named after him, Israel. In the later part of Jacob’s life when God told him to move to Egypt in Genesis 46:2, Jacob said it again. God saved the nation through Joseph when Jacob moved his entire family to Egypt to survive the famine.
What about you? Will you tell God, “Here I am!” or will you ride the bench? Click here to take a Marketplace Mission Trip and watch God put you to work!
Moses
Exodus 3:4 When Moses heard God call to him from the burning bush, he responded, “Here I am.” This action begins the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt.
Samuel
1 Samuel 3:4 The Lord called to Samuel as a child, while he was living with Eli. He said (several times that evening), “Here I am.” Samuel was called while very young and was used by God in many ways, including to anoint both Saul and David, the first kings of Israel.
Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8 This is the beginning of God’s commission to Isaiah. He went on to become a great prophet, telling in advance many of the things that were true of the Lord when He came to earth to save us. Isaiah was used greatly by God.
Ananias
Acts 9:10 This is the only occurrence of someone responding to God with “Here I am” recorded using this language in the New Testament. God used Ananias to communicate about Jesus with Paul. At the time of Paul’s salvation, he had been terrorizing the Jews because of their faith in Jesus. Ananias needed great courage to present himself to Saul and lay hands on him to make him a part of the body of Christ.
Who do you report to?
Who do you report to today? Why not punch in? Begin each day with “Here I am” and Jesus will put you to work. He will do things through you that can’t be explained because of you.
What are you waiting for?
This is the third post in a loosely-connected series on the phrase “Here I am.” The previous posts are here and here. Also, this is the first daily activity of a marketplace missionary. Take a marketplace mission trip and watch Jesus transform your workplace.
Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash
