Monday Morning Encouragement -- The Great I Am

 

"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Say this to the people of Israel: "I am has sent me to you." Exodus 3:14

At the time God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses had just spent 40 years in the desert tending sheep. Gone was the self-confidence he once possessed as a prince of Egypt. 

Moses was reluctant to serve God as His messenger to Pharoah, and did his best to persuade God to send someone else. But God would have not of it. He had chosen Moses for the task, and He was not going to change His mind. Instead, He instructs Moses to say this when the Israelites asked who sent him: "I am has sent me to you."

Gotquestions.org describes the "I AM" statement this way: "The phrase translated “I am who I am” in Hebrew is ehyeh asher ehyeh. The word ehyeh is the first person common singular of the verb to be. It would be used in any number of normal situations: 'I am watching the sheep,' 'I am walking on the road,' or 'I am his father.' However, when used as a stand-alone description, I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish."

Moses and the Israelites could trust that the great "I AM" would deliver them safely out of Egypt. And safely deliver them He did!

"Also inherent in the idea behind the name I AM is the sense that God is 'the becoming one'; God becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need. The name I AM invites us to fill in the blank to meet our need – when we are in darkness, Jesus says I am the light; when we are hungry, He says I am the bread of life, when we are defenseless, He says I am the Good Shepherd. God is the becoming one, becoming what we need." (David Guzik, Enduring Word)

God has always been and will always be the great "I AM." He has been and always will be what His children need in whatever circumstance they find themselves. What am amazing, awesome God we serve!

Today's music video Great I Am by Phillips, Craig & Dean is one of the songs we sang in our worship service yesterday. It's such a beautiful song, full of adoration for our great I AM!

I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.