Here I am. I remember when I first became a believer and read the Bible for the first time how odd I thought it was for someone to say to God in response, “Here I am”. I thought to myself, surely God knows where this person is, why does he need to respond like that? As time and maturity progressed, it became a little clearer as to the significance of this three-word response.

Look at the following examples:

• And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” (Genesis 22:7)
• But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:11)
• When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:4)
• Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” (1 Samuel 3:4)
• And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
• Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” (Acts 9:10)

When you look at these situations a little more closely, the response of “Here I am” means so much more than “I’m over here” or “What?”. In all of these instances, those represented here were on the verge of a distinct calling in their life that would make a dramatic change in not only themselves but of those around them. The response is meaningful and one of reverence from an individual ready to listen and obey and based upon a deep and abiding trust in the Lord.

Whether it was as a child such as Samuel or a man in his 70’s such as Abraham, God is always looking for faithful servants to accomplish His will and purpose on Earth. I’m not aware of anyone retiring on their own in the Bible. As I’ve said before, if you’re drawing breath, you still have work to do.

Further, these individuals were certainly not extraordinary, but just regular people like you and me. If you look carefully throughout the Bible, how often are those who were called by God outcasts, sinners, and just common people?

As children of God all of us are called into ministry. We may not all have the calling of being a pastor, but we do have something to offer. Serving God is not an option nor is it a sporadic act; it is a duty one has when he or she decided to follow Christ. We should not wait for the pastor or church leadership to recommend an area of service; we as the body of Christ need to be actively seeking through prayer and meditation on His Word, clarity in what God would have us do from this day forward.

We need to be saying “Here I am, Lord.”

Consider what A.W. Tozer wrote in his classic, “The Pursuit of God”:

“The “layman” need never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his minister. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act.”