Tell Me What to Do, God

Here I Am: Pred-Deciding to Obey God

Scripture References

Primary text

• Genesis 22

Other references

• Genesis 12
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• Romans 8:4
• Luke 6:46
• Psalm 13
• Isaiah 58:9
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Hebrews 11

Overview

We all want to get life’s decisions right and fear getting them wrong. In Genesis 22 Abraham models a single, freeing resolve: answer God’s call with “Hineni—here I am,” then obey. Pastor Tim showed how obedience flows from availability, how God still guides His people, and how the cross proves He never asks of us what He will not do Himself.

Main Points

1. “Would somebody please just tell me what to do?”

• Tim’s 17-year-old daughter keeps asking this because adult choices feel overwhelming.
• We share that tension: we want to honor God yet aren’t always sure what the right choice is.

2. Abraham’s immediate answer: Hineni

• Genesis 22 opens: “God tested Abraham.”
• Abraham replies, “Here I am.”
  • Hineni = total availability, not GPS location.
  • Pred-decision: “God, the answer is yes—now what’s the question?”
• Principle: Obedience draws you toward God; disobedience pushes you away.

3. How God speaks to His people today

• Sometimes God directs clearly
  • Scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
  • When the Bible is explicit, we simply obey.
• Sometimes God guides quietly
  • Holy Spirit prompts (Romans 8:4).
  • Test every prompting against Scripture; God never contradicts Himself.
• Sometimes God grows us silently
  • Psalm 13 laments God’s silence; Abraham heard God only 7 times in ~511 million decisions.
  • Jesus answered only 3 of 183 questions directly (Luke 6:46 context).
  • God’s goal is transformation, not just information.
  • Illustration: Tim and Katie’s move to Wichita—no clear “yes” or “no,” so they chose to love God and serve people where sent.

4. Re-living Genesis 22

• Vivid retelling: three-day journey, Isaac carrying the wood, the knife raised, God’s last-second provision.
• Foreshadow of the gospel:
  • Isaac carries wood → Jesus carries the cross.
  • Ram provided → Jesus becomes the substitute with no substitute for Him.

5. God never asks what He won’t do Himself

• Story: Tim’s older brother, an infantry officer, always entered houses second: “If somebody’s going to get shot, it’s going to be me.”

  “Tim, I will not ask my people to do something that I’m unwilling to do myself.”

• At Calvary the Father proved the same heart, offering His own Son.
• Isaiah 58:9 pictures God saying to us, “Here I am.”

6. Living a Hineni life

• Greatest ability = availability.
• Daily practice: begin with “Here I am, Lord, my answer is yes,” then listen and obey.

Key Truths

• God tests to reveal, not to destroy.
• Availability precedes clarity; say yes before you know the assignment.
• Scripture is the non-negotiable voice of God; whispers and silence are interpreted through it.
• Obedience is relational—grounded in trusting the One who already went first.
• The cross guarantees God’s goodness even when His instructions feel costly.

Response

• Start each morning for the next seven days praying, “Hineni—here I am.”
• Search the Scriptures for any clear directive you have been postponing and act on it.
• Tune your heart to the Spirit’s quiet nudges, confirming them with the Word.
• When God seems silent, keep doing the last clear thing He told you.
• Reflect on the cross whenever obedience feels risky; remember He went first.

Closing

Pastor Tim invited the church to pre-decide obedience, trusting the God who sacrificed His own Son for us. When we know His heart, we can answer with confidence:

“Here I am. My answer is yes.”

Those ready to surrender to Christ received prayer and began new life, because whoever finds God finds life.