Hineini

 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.”

  — Gen 22፥1 (NIV)

I have been taking classes on Biblical literature online. So far I took courses on the Genesis narrative and the first and the second books of Samuel which are about the David story. I found this study extremely interesting. Biblical poetry is so profound and yet, accessible to understand. 

As I was studying these contents, I came across this beautiful Hebrew word: Hineini (here I am). When Abraham was called to be tested by God, he used this word to fully present himself before the throne of God. I just wondered the power of the word in learning this. I asked myself what it means to be present in this context. And in doing so, I remembered a famous quote from C.S Lewis's book: The great divorce that says, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: there who says to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says 'Thy will be done.'" 

Whether we live a successful life on earth or not, the meaning of our journey boils down to this choice: Are we willing to give God, ourselves, or do we choose to abide by the principle of hell which is, "I am my own." 

So I concluded that Hineini is defined as saying to God, "Thy will be done." To be present in life is to be in the will of God.