Isaiah 58:8-9a Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9a Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
When we hear the word Hineini—”Here I am,” many of us immediately think of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 6, standing before the throne of God, overwhelmed by His holiness. After being cleansed by the burning coal, Isaiah hears the Lord ask, “Whom shall I send?” and responds with the now-famous phrase: “Hineini—Here am I. Send me.”
It’s a powerful moment of surrender and commissioning. But what’s easy to miss is that God Himself also uses this same word in Isaiah 58:9: “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: ‘Hineini.'”
Selah — Think about that.
We usually think of Hineini as our response to God: “Here I am, send me.” It speaks of readiness, obedience, and surrender—and it is. But in this passage, we see something even more stunning—God says it first.
The God of the universe answers the cries of His people not just with action, but with His presence. He says, “Hineini”—“Here I am.”
When God called Abraham to lay his beloved son on the altar, Abraham didn’t hesitate—he answered, “Hineini.” (Genesis 22:1) When God called Moses from the burning bush to confront Pharaoh and deliver a nation, Moses stood barefoot on holy ground and said, “Hineini.” (Exodus 3:4) When God’s voice thundered through the heavens in Isaiah’s vision, the prophet stepped forward and declared, “Hineini, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
But in Isaiah 58, the pattern is reversed. God says to a repentant, humbled nation: “Hineini.” He’s not just summoning us to come near—He is declaring that He already has.
He’s not far off. He’s not waiting for us to earn our way through ritual or religious perfection. He’s watching. He’s waiting. He longs for people who will humble themselves, not just with words but with their whole heart. To a repentant people, God doesn’t just answer prayers—He shows up. Not through an intermediary. Not from a distance. He steps in and says, “Hineini.” I’m here. I’m near. I’m with you.
Ultimately, we see Hineini in Yeshua (Jesus), who knocks at the door of every heart. In the Hebrew New Testament, Revelation 3:20 begins with this very word—Hineni—”Here am I, I stand at the door and knock…” This is a clear echo of God’s continual desire to be present, personal, and available to all who will open to Him.
So yes, let’s be like Isaiah and say, “Hineini–Here am I, Lord, send me.” But let’s never forget–we can say it because God said it first.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Yesterday, I was talking to good friend of ours in the States who loves to fish. Fishing is one of his favorite activities and he goes quite frequently. As we were talking, he happened to mentioned some disappointment about a friend canceling a fishing trip they were to going to enjoy. I replied, “Bro, maybe the Lord wants you to go fishing for men today!”
When Yeshua (Jesus) was describing the societal atmosphere of His return, he said these peculiar words … “Remember Lot’s Wife.” It was a warning … and especially to the generation of believers just before His return.
We continue looking at Jonah, and find him in Chapter 4 displeased with God’s mercy toward Nivevah. The Assyrians were arch-enemies of Israel and among the cruelest nations in history. Instead of being elated that God spared 120,000 Ninevites Jonah preferred to see his own pronouncement of judgment executed by the Lord. “Let those Assyrians get what’s coming to them…
Jonah preached his 8 word sermon and the Ninevites were struck with the fear of the Lord and moved to complete repentance.
The king stood up (a sign of his serious intent), removed his royal robes (a sign of humility)…read more
When the Lord gave Jonah a second chance, He didn’t change His mind about the prophet’s destination. He didn’t lighten the load or change the burden Jonah was destined to carry. There was no negotiation with Jonah where the Lord expressed understanding about his reluctance to go to Nineveh. God didn’t concede to send him to Tarshish just because he’d been heading in that direction anyway. Jonah’s disobedience and repentance produced a clear and simple result…
A “second time.” Jonah’s repentance gave him a second chance to obey the Lord and to fulfill his ministry. And he did it successfully. The apostle Paul tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” [Romans 11:29]. Jonah’s disobedience did not take away his calling as a prophet. The discipline of the Lord was fruitful in his life. But compare King Saul. He also got a second chance after failing to wait for Samuel [1 Samuel 13] and he disobeyed again, and lost his kingship [1 Samuel 15]. But even that took many years to transpire after David was anointed.
Jonah now acknowledges that God put him where he is, and he accepts His discipline. “Sheol” is the “grave”, the “pit” or the “abode of the dead”. Did Jonah die, or was he only nearly dead from three days of fish stomach acid, and little or no air? The text doesn’t say; only that if he didn’t actually leave his body, he came as close as a man can get to it; three days worth. In this nebulous and miserable place Jonah cried out, probably from the deepest depths of his agonized soul…he cried out to the Lord.