Friday, August 3, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Here

I remember participating in roll call every day in grade school.  The bell would ring and we would scramble to our desks.  The teacher would take out the record book and began to call down the list of my classmates.  I kind of enjoyed waiting for my name to be called and having a chance to say, “Here!”  Inevitably at some point, a wisecracker in the back of the room would respond with “Not Here!” which always earned him a few giggles.  The teacher never looked amused.

Today’s word brought two men in Scripture to mind -- Samuel and Isaiah.  When Samuel was young, the Lord called his name and he responded with “Here I am,” and ran to Eli.  Eli instructed him to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  Not only did Samuel learn to recognize the Lord’s voice, he listened to it.  In Isaiah, the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” and Isaiah responds, “Here am I.  Send me!”  Isaiah was ready and willing to serve.

I looked up those two passages before I began today’s five minutes because I wanted to make sure I was quoting Scripture accurately.  In I Samuel 3:19 it says, “Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.”  What an encouragement to be reminded today that when I respond “Here!” to the Lord with a  ready and willing heart, my faith will grow and He will be here with me!


   

8 comments:

  1. Hi Julie! I thought of Isaiah, too, when I saw the word "here." It really is such an encouragement to remember that God is faithfully with us. We can trust Him enough to obey fearlessly, even when we don't know what that obedience will look like. Thanks for the reminder!

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    1. Great point! I hadn't thought about the fact the Isaiah responded without knowing all of the details. My natural tendency is to want to know *exactly* what I'm getting into before I respond and commit to something. It makes sense that our faith will grow when we fearlessly obey. I am so thankful that the Lord is steadfast and faithful!

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  2. Thanks for the reminder, Julie! It really is so encouraging to remember that God is faithful ALL the time EVERYWHERE!

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  3. Truly appreciated this today!

    I wrote about another time Isaiah used the word here... but in a very different vein.

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. I appreciated your post too! Very thought provoking. :)

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  4. Julie, even if I didn't know you as well as I do, I would still know what a tender, caring, listening heart you have just by the way you write and the way you think, which "comes through" in your writing. So much of what you write is based on Scripture which is always an encouragement. You always check, too, to make sure you are quoting it accurately. I loved both of your biblical examples of Samuel and Isaiah responding "here" as well as the anecdote about the "not here" wise guy in the classroom which illustrated the other side of the coin. How important it is to be "here"--listening and available! ~~Love, Mom

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  5. I am so grateful for your perspective. In my post I am asking where God is and in yours God is asking where we are. Oh that I would be more like Isaiah and immediately respond in obedience. I have much to reflect on tonight. Thank you Julie! I am so glad I clicked on your link!

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    1. Thank you Diana for your encouraging words! I am still learning how to be more "Isaiah-like," and doing so with boldness and confidence.

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