Hineni


(Heh-nay-nee).

It sounds Hawaiian doesn’t it?

It isn’t.  It’s Hebrew, and it means, “I am here,” or “Here I am.”  And although the actual word has been lost in most of the Bible translations, when it does appear, it is infrequent.

The first three times the word is used comes from Abraham as God asks him to leave his home, then to take Isaac, to bind him, and to offer him as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah.  On each successive utterance, the reality of what is being asked becomes clearer, and yet “Hineni” means “I am here, I am ready, I will do what you ask of me…”.  

When we say “Hineni” to God, the word represents a true understanding that He is Sovereign.  

And even when His ways or His “asks” do not line up with our will or wants, we recognize His authority and are willing to submit.

Another famous “Hineni” comes from Isaiah right after he’s had a vision of angels worshipping God. 

He feels unworthy and says, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty”. - Isaiah 6:6

But immediately after an angel assures him he is “clean,” God makes it clear to those around Him that He is looking for a volunteer.  He says, “Whom shall I send, who will go for us?”, and before even knowing what is being asked, or what God would be sending him to do, Isaiah says “Hineni, send me!”

You see that’s the other thing about “Hineni.”  When we say it we must be willing to go forward knowing that even if we don’t feel up to the task at hand, GOD IS - and He will equip us with all of the tools we need to accomplish His goals. 

When we say “Hineni” to God we are shedding ourselves and all of our reservations in a willingness to serve Him.  “Hineni” is a brave and humble response which means “I am ready to receive and respond to whatever experience is about to unfold”.

Hineni!

“And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’  Then I said ‘Hineni!  Send me.’” - Isaiah 6:8


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