In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from Isaiah entitled “When You Call.”  I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection.

Here I Am

Then, when you call, the Lord will answer;

When you cry, He will say: Here I am.

—Isaiah

To the child calling out in hunger, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the nations crying out in times of war, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the mother who has lost a child, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the young man going through a divorce, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the inmate on death row, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the police officer on a drug raid, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the firefighter entering a blaze, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the doctor fighting Covid19, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the teacher trying to teach online, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the parents raising a young family, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the children of an alcoholic, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the pledges undergoing hazing, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the woman working a job she hates, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the old man who has lost his dog, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the worker in a meat factory afraid of getting sick, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the mental patient disconnected from reality, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the package handlers in the warehouse, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the cashiers at the grocery store, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the owners of closed restaurants, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the clerk laid off from work, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the social worker with an overwhelming load, the Lord says, Here I am.

To the computer programmer learning a new language, the Lord say, Here I am.

To the high school senior who won’t have a graduation, the Lord says, Here I am.

To all who cry out in sorrow, in pain, in overwhelm, the Lord says, Here I am.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have or haven’t done, the Lord says, Here I am.

It doesn’t matter how small or great your need, the Lord says, Here I am.

It doesn’t matter whether you cry out for yourself or others, the Lord says, Here I am.

So bring your sorrows forward. Call out to the holy one who hears all prayers.

I promise, the Lord will say, Here I am.