Challenged to be mindful of my moments, I found several role models who had been down this path before me. Throughout the scriptures, God speaks to people and the common response is, “Here I am.” God calls Abraham who responds, “Here I am.” To Moses at the burning bush, God calls him by name and Moses responds, “Here I am.” To the little boy Samuel in a dream, God calls, and Samuel responds, “Here I am. Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,” Seeking another servant years later, God cries out, “Whom shall I send,” and Isaiah says, “Here am I, send me.” The most celebrated response is teenage Mary, responds, “Here am I,” and then ends with, “May it be to me as you have said.”
“Here” for all those saints and so many others came not on some consecrated mountain or sacred space, but in holy moments, places in time where God and persons met.
When Moses said, “Tell me your name.” and God replied, “I AM,” God was inviting Moses to encounter God there, in the present moment. What does “I AM” mean if not the presence of God? Certainly for Moses descending the mountain, the holy name, “I AM” was the promise “I AM (Here).” Moses faced Pharaoh ten times aware in each confrontation, “Perhaps this time, Pharaoh will have me killed.” How could he have such courage? Each time he went, risking all, but expecting “I AM HERE” to be present.
The contrast between the symbolic pyramids of Pharaoh and God’s burning bush is neon. One is a wonder of the world and the other is the work of God. One has outlasted time while the other transcends time. One is built on the backs of slaves while the other is a call to liberate slaves. One puts a governor’s power over God the other points to God over governors. One is an attempt to defeat time while the other is a call into moment after moment with God. Finally, one is a an empty tomb and one is a call into life greater than death.
When we end our prayers with “Amen” which means “So be it,” they seem final, over, complete. “Amen” feels like we have prayed our prayer and can move on. Whether alone or in a congregation, ending a prayer with, “Here I am,” implies readiness and an openness to God in each moment.