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“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Genesis 3:8-10). After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God asked them where they were. They hid and told God they were afraid. Today, I would like to look at four Bible characters who didn’t hide when God called their name. ABRAHAM After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." Right after Abraham said, “Here I am,” God said to him, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you" (Genesis 22:1). We know Abraham was obedient and put his son on the altar of sacrifice. We hear Abraham responding again to God’s call in Genesis 22:11-12 – But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” SAMUEL In 1 Samuel 3, God called to Samuel three times. Each time, Samuel said, “Here I am.” Finally, Eli, priest at the tabernacle in Shiloh, and the second-to-last judge of Israel, told Samuel that when God called again, he should tell God to speak and that he was listening. Samuel did so and God said, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle” (1 Samuel 3:11). Samuel was called by God at a very young age, and was faithful to that call throughout his life. ISAIAH Isaiah had a vision of the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne. He heard the voice of the Lord asking a question.“…Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8 NLT). Isaiah took the call of God personally and said he would go. This was the beginning of God’s commission to him. Isaiah’s name, which means “YHWH (the Lord) is salvation”, is widely regarded as one of the greatest prophets of the Bible. ANANIAS “Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord” (Acts 9:10 NRSV). In the New Testament, this is the only occurrence of someone responding to God with “Here I am.” From the account, we know Ananias wasn’t thrilled about going to see Paul, a persecutor of the Body of Christ. But Ananias was obedient because God told him Paul was a chosen instrument to proclaim God’s Name to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. Today, when God calls our name, how will we answer? Will we run and hide like Adam and Eve or answer, “Here I am” like Abraham, Samuel, Isaiah, and Ananias? God has a purpose and a plan for each day of our lives. And we have a choice. Dear Lord Jesus, today, and every day, in the power of Your precious Holy Spirit, may I respond with, “Here I am, send me.”
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In Ezekiel 47, we read about water flowing from the temple of God. “The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east)…” (Ezekiel 47:2 NIV).
In Revelation, the water is called the river of the water of life. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…” (Revelation 22:1 NIV). And back in Ezekiel, it says that “where the river flows everything will live (Ezekiel 47:9 NIV). In John 7:38 (NOG), Jesus said, “As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’” When Jesus talked to the woman at the well, in John 4:10 (VOICE), He said to her, “…You don’t know the gift of God or who is asking you for a drink of this water from Jacob’s well. Because if you did, you would have asked Him for something greater; and He would have given you the living water.” Jesus went on to say, “…’Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life’” (John 4:13-14 NLT). Jesus was waiting to give the Samaritan woman the same life-giving water which flows from the throne of God. All she had to do was ask. In the New Covenant, we as believers are the temple of God and His Holy Spirit indwells us. “Don’t you realise that you yourselves are the temple of God, and God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 Phillips). In Jeremiah 2:13 (MSG), God says to the Israelites, “My people have committed a compound sin: they’ve walked out on me, the fountain Of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns— cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves.” God, through His precious Holy Spirit is the Source of the river of the water of life. You may say, “I’m born again. I’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit but I don’t see any evidence of the river of life flowing from me – not even a trickle. When that happens, we may have a dam in the way, blocking the flow. What things can dam up the life-giving river? Here are a few:
It’s important to remember that faith works by love. “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love” (Galatians 5:6 AMPC). The message is clear- if we’re not walking in love, our faith isn’t working. 4. Cares of this life. “…but the worries of the world, the deceitful glamor of wealth and all the other kinds of desires push in and choke the message; so that it produces nothing” (Mark 4:19 CJB). 5. Deceitfulness and pleasures of this world. “Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. (1 John 2:16 MSG). As we clear away the debris from our lives which stops God’s life giving water from flowing through us to others, we will have a continual supply for those who are thirsty. And the river will grow in depth from ankle to knee to waist deep, and then it will become a river, bringing life to those around us. |
AuthorIn this Blog, I want to share with you some of the things I've learned from many years of following Jesus. Archives
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