Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham, and he said, Here am I.
When the Lord calls, the best and simplest response is to answer the call with an open, willing, and ready heart: ”Here I am. I’m listening.” The Lord then spoke The Gospel to Abraham. (“Don’t sacrifice your son.”) Then ”God provided a lamb.” The Lord made him look up and see the ram caught in a thicket. He took the ram and offered it up instead of his son. The ram is Jesus offered as a sacrifice in our place.
Abraham was called by the Gospel, just as we are called by the Gospel whenever we hear it. ”Here I am” is the best response to the call of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel. Samuel responded to the call of the Lord three times with ”Here I am,” but to Eli. The fourth time God called he responded, ”Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” This is our prayerful response every time we go to church. Isaiah responded to the glorious, heavenly vision, ”Here I am! Send me.” Mary listened to Jesus: she chose the ”one thing needful.”
The Word, like seed, is sown in various hearts. The seed sown on good soil produces up to a hundredfold. The Gospel that falls on an ”honest and good heart” produces much fruit. The Holy Spirit ”calls us by the gospel,” and like Abraham, Samuel, Isaiah, and Mary, we respond ”Here am I. I’m listening.” God calls. I answer. I believe. I am saved. Praise God.