Once upon a time
when I was a student
I went on retreat
at my old school,
Thornhill College.
There, I heard the song
“Here I am, Lord”
for the very first time.
This song blew my mind.
Later that evening
I went for a walk
through wasteland
that stretched along
the banks of the Foyle.
As I perched on a boulder
overlooking the huge expanse
of the river
and the recently-constructed
Foyle Bridge,
the song “Here I am, Lord”
was playing constantly
in my head.
This is the song
of a broken-hearted God
who has been rejected by His people
and who yearns
for their return.
In the song
God asks the question,
“Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?”
And sitting there on a rock,
gazing across the Foyle
as dusk fell,
I sang the song aloud.
That song touched my soul
and my heart responded
to that call,
silently echoing the chorus
of the song –
“Here I am, Lord!”
Today, I find myself
along that same stretch
of the Foyle.
It has been transformed
over the years
from a wasteland
into a wildlife sanctuary.
And I find myself
singing the song aloud again.
So much has happened
in almost forty years.
I completed my studies,
married the man I love,
raised a family
and taught for many years
before finally retiring.
All those years ago
I responded to God’s call,
singing, “Here I am, Lord!”
And God, in turn,
has responded
by walking at my side
every single day
since then.
I feel that I have been called
to walk hand in hand
with God –
isn’t that wonderful?
And isn’t God amazing?
© Claire Murray, 7th September 2023