Lately I have been spending time in the Bible reading the story of Abraham.  I have heard and known the gist of the story of Abraham going to sacrifice his son Isaac, but in my reading I was struck by the level of faith and obedience Abraham exercised in this encounter with God.

In Genesis 22:1 God calls out to Abraham, and his response is “Here I am.”  Abraham’s response shows how ready he was to do whatever God was calling him to do.  He was fully surrendered to the call.  Such a call is reminiscent of the call of the prophet Isaiah, and Samuel as a little boy. Isaiah the prophet responded to God’s call in Isaiah 6:8 with, “Here am I.  Send me!”

As a young boy Samuel thought the call of God was the priest Eli calling out to him from another room.  Samuel goes to Eli and says, “Here I am; you called me.” (1 Sam. 3:8)  Samuel went through this routine three times before Eli recognizes it is God calling Samuel.  When Samuel hears God’s fourth call, he responds with total surrender, recognizing the voice of the Lord, by saying, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  Without knowing what God’s call would be, Abraham, Samuel, and Isaiah are ready to do the will of the Father.