Daily Devotional
I Am Who I Am
Scripture
But Moses said to God, “Look, if I go to the Israelites and I say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is his name?’ then what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “So you must say to the Israelites, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ”
Exodus 3:13-14
Reflection
Moses stands before a bush that burns without being consumed, and he asks the most reasonable question in the world: who shall I say sent me? God answers with a name that is almost a riddle — "I am who I am." Not a title, not a job description, but sheer, self-existent being. God depends on nothing. He simply is, and always has been, and always will be. At first this can feel abstract, even distant. But consider where God speaks it. He does not reveal his name from a safe heaven far above the misery of Egypt. He speaks it in a desert, to a fugitive, because he has "seen the affliction" of his people and come down to rescue them. The great I AM is also the God who draws near to slaves and hears their cry. This is the paradox at the heart of our faith: the God who needs nothing chooses to involve himself utterly with us. His name is both his majesty and his nearness. When Jesus later says "before Abraham was, I am," he claims this very name — and then goes to a cross to prove how far the great I AM will go for us. Whatever Egypt you are facing, the One who sends help is not a distant force. He is present tense. I AM — not "I was," not "I might be," but "I am," right here, right now.
Prayer
I AM, the God who is always present, thank you that you are not remote but near. You see what I am carrying and you have come down to help. Steady me today with the knowledge that you are here, now, and that your name is enough.
Today's Question
How does knowing God as the ever-present "I AM" change the way you face what is in front of you today?