v 20. but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!”
Here is the other side of the coin; God is constantly saying to His people “Here I am”. We find it in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 65:1 God said “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.
God is more ready to be here and offer His presence than we are to be available to Him. In the middle of the storm on the lake Jesus was quick to say “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” and then come alongside to rescue them.
Learning to step aside from the sometimes ugly and forced rhythms of our clock-watching and digital experience is far from easy, but it is vitally important if we are to cultivate a “Here I am” relationship with God. The Hineni, mindset, which this book by Brian Draper encourages, takes us into a quieter, more thoughtful arena, and will perhaps enable us to walk our own locality, the Downs and riverside, fields and pathways, more aware of the presence of God as we go.
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