When God Says ‘Here I Am’
Have you ever been amazed, even stunned, at what the Bible says? I recently had this experience. It was a verse that struck me as so unique, so unexpected, that I had to reread it to be sure that I actually read it correctly the first time. The stunning verse is found near the end of Isaiah, but to see what is so amazing, we must start go back to the beginning.
In Isaiah’s famous vision of God (chapter 6), the prophet beholds “the Lord sitting upon a throne.” It is an awe-inducing spectacle, with angels crying out “holy, holy, holy” and the temple trembling from the vibrations of God’s majesty. Isaiah recognizes his sinfulness and utters an anguished cry, “Woe is me!” Then he is mercifully cleansed of his guilt by a glowing ember that symbolizes atonement.
Immediately following this cleansing, God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah responds, “Here I am! Send me.” It is this phrase, Here I Am, that means much more than you might assume.
Here I am means something like, “I stand here before you, ready and willing to do whatever you command.” It does not just mean, “I am present,” but it carries the overtone of “I am willing to serve and do your bidding.”
The phrase (which is just one word in Hebrew, hineniy) is used frequently in the Old Testament. At the moment when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, the angel of the Lord calls “Abraham, Abraham!” and he said, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:11). When Moses approached the burning bush, “God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (Exodus 3:4)
Beside these famous examples, which happen at pivotal moments in Israel’s history, there are many other times when men respond “Here I Am” to their superiors. Almost always, it is a phrase that is used by a servant or child or subject when addressing his master, parent, or sovereign. It almost always carries connotations of being ready to obey and submit and cheerfully do whatever is asked.
That is why I was stunned to read Isaiah 58:9 – “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’”
In context, the LORD is describing the type of fast that pleases him. He is not pleased with exhibitions of piety, when the heart remains committed to evil. No, God desires a fast where righteousness and justice is performed. He is less interested in the externals (spreading sackcloth and ashes) and more interested in substance (undoing wickedness, sharing bread with the hungry).
And what comes to those who fast in this way? When they call on him, he will say to them, “Here I am.” Yes, unbelievable as it is, God will reverse the roles; he will respond to them in the same way that his holy servants throughout history have responded to him. God will respond to such a fast as if by saying, “I am here to do your bidding, ready to answer you—so ask, that it may be done for you.
Let that sink in. When God’s people are committed to obedience, he is committed to hearing their prayers. This is what the New Testament writers know by experience. John says, “this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). Take courage – God certainly hears the prayers of his people, and “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).
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