Isaiah, Esther, Nehemiah, and so many more heard God’s call and took a stand. Today, God is calling once again…but that raises a vital question.
When God calls, who will answer? Those who have the heart to obey regardless of the cost. The prophet Isaiah was one such man. In his day, God’s people were in a desperate spiritual condition. Their king, Uzziah, who had once been a good man dedicated to following God, had violated the law and been judged as a result. His death created a power vacuum at a time when the kingdom was surrounded by enemies and danger lurked on every side.
At that moment, Isaiah was given a vision of God’s power and majesty—a reminder of the help that was available to the Jewish people if they sought God’s face. But there needed to be a go-between, someone to speak to the people for God. Isaiah heard God’s call and volunteered for duty. He said, “Here am I; send me.” Notice that he did not ask God to find someone else to take on the challenges of the job. Isaiah was willing to step up and take responsibility to stand for God’s Chosen People.
During my most recent trip to Israel, I thought of Nehemiah when I was looked out at the walls of Jerusalem. When the Jewish people were in crisis, with the walls of the Holy City destroyed and no defense against their enemies, this one man decided that he would make a difference. When Nehemiah heard of their desperate plight, he received it as a call of God and answered “Hineni”—here am I.
That decision changed the course of the entire nation. Nehemiah gave up his secure life in the palace for the uncertainty and danger of building something to encourage, defend, and help the Jewish people. He had a position of prominence and power, but he was willing to lay all that aside to defend the Jewish people from destruction. Nehemiah answered the call.
Isaiah and Nehemiah were certainly not the only ones to hear and answer the call of God. Throughout the Old Testament, we see stories of those who heard God’s voice and responded “Hineni.” Abraham, the very first Righteous Gentile left his home in search of a new land. Ruth abandoned her relatives in Moab to return to Israel and care for Naomi.
It is time for us to rise up and declare in faith that we do all that is possible to deliver Israel from destruction, just as Esther and Mordecai did centuries ago. It is time for us to stand in the gap. And I believe with all my heart that it is time for us to receive the signet ring of heaven’s approval and authority so that we can see God’s power on display in every part of our lives.
Today, God is once again looking for men and women of courage and faith to answer the call and stand in the gap for the sake of Israel and the Jewish people. Will your answer be “Hineni”? We are the people He is calling to be a great wall of defense for His Chosen People.
