Behold, God is the Great I am.

Behold, the Great I Am.

 

 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” [a] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:14 ESV. 

 

Have you ever experienced something unexpected? An experience you have savored and remembered, one so exciting that you pinch yourself. I’ve had many–getting married, the birth of my children, becoming a nurse, becoming a grandma. 

 

However, one memory stands out, at my church, an invitation to go to Israel. Yes, the Holy Land. May I say, it was like a light shone down on my pew from heaven; I knew at that moment in time I was to go on this missionary trip—what an unexpected way to serve the Lord. I would share my testimony in Nazareth. 

 

In Exodus 3, Moses had an unexpected adventure. One day, while tending sheep, a bush is burning, and it does not burn up. You see, Moses fled to the desert after killing an Egyptian. Moses had been born when there was a mandate to kill baby boys. His mother hid him for three months and then set him afloat in the Nile river–where he would be found and adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter. However, he embraced the teaching of the Israelites, and when he saw one suffering, he killed the Egyptian. So he had to flee Egypt, but God knew where he was; God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient–God is God. 

 

Upon examining the burning bush, he hears a voice commanding him–take off your sandals. “You are standing on holy ground.” 

 

This incredible voice was God, and God had a job for Moses. Moses’ position: deliver the Israelites from Egypt. What is God asking you to do? 

 

 Moses listens to God but asks God, who should he say is sending him? You see, the Israelites knew about gods but not necessarily a personal God, one that knew them intimately. 

 

God declares who He is. Read with me the verses where God tells Moses His name. 

 

“Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: I am sent me to you.'” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” Exodus 3:13-15. ESV

 

“I am who I am!” God declares that He is “I am.” The God who created the universe, the God who created you and me, is the “Great I am.”

 

Beloved, I wish I could impart to you how vital this acknowledgment is to us as believers. Sometimes we want to humanize God and God is God. God is Spirit. God is the creator; God is love; “God is the Great I am.”

 

Why is this so important? Because if God is the “Great I am”, then I do not have to be. I have everything I need to be who God wants me to be. I do not have to do anything to gain his love except accepting Jesus as my savior. 

 

Beloved, I had the unexpectant pleasure to share my testimony in Israel– two accepted Christ, yet we do not have to perform for God’s love. On the contrary, once we accept Jesus as our Savior, God gives us the right to be called daughters of the King of Kings. 

 

Father God, You are the Great I am. You are the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning, and the End. How far and how wide is Your love for us. May I always remember that You are the Creator and Sustainer of my soul? In Jesus’s name Amen.  

 

What is God asking you to do? 

What attribute is God asking you to thank Him for today?