1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Sometimes it would be better if you hadn’t showed up. I remember those days in gym class when the teacher would call the role. I hated that. I always seemed to get picked last when it came to team sports. I wasn’t really very good at sports, so I don’t blame the team captains for not picking me. But not being good at something doesn’t make the feelings of rejection hurt any less. About the only thing I could do well was climb the rope. On rope climbing days I didn’t mind saying, “Here!” I was so skinny that I had almost no weight to pull up the rope. I always seemed to be the fastest at the rope. I never was good at distance running. On the days when we were getting ready for the Presidential Fitness Test I hated answering, “Here!” I hated the running, the pushups, the sit-ups, the pull-ups, just about everything that involved pain and effort. I knew I wasn’t going to get an award, so I would rather not be present. And back then, they didn’t care about my self-esteem. They would announce to the whole class the scores of each individual. And if you failed, you wanted to crawl under your chair. Abraham is about to go through the greatest test of his life. And God takes role to make sure he is present. Abraham answers, “Here!” I know the outcome of this test is a very positive one for Abraham and for us, but the process itself seems very difficult. If Abraham had known in advance what was going to be involved, I can imagine him being a little hesitant to answer, “Here!” Sometimes we might want to be absent from the difficulties in our lives. We might want to take a vacation from our problems, or maybe a day off from our worries. But God asks us to trust Him. He will always be on the job, always present with us in our trials. He always answers, “Here!” Are you willing to answer God’s role call today? It might be a day of great difficulty and triumph. Or it might be a day that will be like so many others, fading into our past without incident. Are you ready to be present with God today?
The Arnold Journey 