A reoccurring statement in the Bible is “Here I am.”
This was often said to God when he calls out or speaks to one of his children.
- Twice, when God called to Abraham, Abraham responded with, “Here I am,” (Genesis 21:1 and 22:11).
- Abraham’s grandson Jacob had similar experiences. Once an angel came to Jacob in a dream (on God’s behalf) and another time God spoke to Jacob in a vision at night. Both times Jacob replied by saying, “Here I am.” (Genesis 31:11 and 46:2).
- Some 400 hundred years later, God spoke from the midst of a burning bush and Moses said, “Here I am,” (Exodus 3:4).
Abraham, Jacob, and Moses were all expectantly ready to listen to God. We need to do the same.
Later Jesus said, “Here I am” in obedience to do the will of his father, (Hebrews 10:7-9, which is quoting the prophetic text in Psalm 40:7).
Lastly, this phrase is spoken to us by Jesus. He says,
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me,”(Revelation 3:20).
Jesus is saying that he is ready for us; he is waiting; all we need to do is open the door for him.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
