I AM WHO I AM | Encounter God #6

Imagine meeting the angel of the Lord in a burning bush . . . a bush that was not burning up. What would be your response? Awe? Fear? Would you be like Moses, and approach with curiosity? What would you do if God called out to you by name? Would you run and hide? Approach timidly? Respond as Moses’ did, “Here I am.”

Would you fall on your face, when you realized the God of the Universe was meeting you in this holy and sacred place? I’ve thought of this often as I’ve experienced times in which I’ve felt God calling me into a deeper measure of faith and obedience . . . into serving Him outside my comfort zone. It’s when we know that we are beyond our own abilities that there is nothing we can do but trust God with it all. And is there any posture more fitting for surrender than being on our face before Him.

Yet God doesn’t require us to stay there. He calls us from surrender to service, first reminding us of His faithfulness. Isn’t that what He did for Moses in before giving him instructions to lead the Israelites into the promised land? He reminded Moses that He saw all that was happening . . .

God observed.

He heard.

He knew.

He came down.

He did all of that before He sent and appointed Moses to go forth, with the promise that He would be with Him. Yet all that the Lord reminded Moses about His faithfulness was not sufficient enough to give him the confidence to set forth. He had one more need. He must know the name of God. Isn’t that fascinating!

Yet, think about our human relationships. We don’t call someone a friend until we know their name. We don’t go the distance with a mere acquaintance.

Names matter. To God and to us. So God obliged and answered Moses:

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”  God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

Exodus 3:14-15 CSB

I AM WHO I AM. That is the name of God we are to remember eternally, forever.

It represents the fullness of who He is and who He will always be.

It embodies who God from creation onward.

Being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is no small feet. He was faithful when the Israelites were not. He kept His promises when they did not. He provided a way out of the wilderness, in spite of the necessary forty years of wilderness wandering for His people.

There is nothing we are facing today that God hasn’t already seen or known. He is not shocked by us. He is not sick of us. He is still there.

He is the great I AM from the beginning of time through all eternity.

Let’s Pray

Lord God, thank you for being a personal God, willing to be in within reach and integrally a part of our lives. Thank You that we can know You by name. We can call You by name. Thank You that Your name holds so much for us . . . to see you in a new way . . . to understand Your character and promises. Forgive us, God, when we have forsaken the opportunity to get to know You personally. Awaken our hearts and minds to see Your invitation to experience a fresh encounter with You.

In the Strong Name of Jesus, Amen.

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  1. Memorizing One Name or Attribute of God
  2. Memorizing the Key Verse
  3. Studying the Key Verse in Context of the Chapter of Scripture
  4. Praying According to God’s Name or Attribute

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