I Am is my favorite name for God. To me it means that God is who and what God is regardless of our perceptions. That means that while we may see God as loving, vengeful, neglectful, micro-managing, or compassionate, that doesn't necessarily mean those things are what God is. God just is, and God never changes. And that is so comforting to me.
I'm in the process of reading I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is by Michele Cushatt. Ms. Cushatt's assertion is that we can know who we are, based on who God is and what God knows and says about us.
Let's take a closer look at that story in Exodus 3. The bush is on fire, but not burning up. God calls to Moses to come near, but not too near and tells Moses to remove his shoes. God tells Moses to go to Egypt to free God's people, and Moses says,
Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? (vs 11)
Who am I, Moses asks. And you know how God answers him? He doesn't, really. God says,
I will be with you. (vs 12)
And a little later,
I AM WHO I AM. (vs 14)
The book is divided into six sections, each with 10 short, 3-5 page chapters. Each chapter begins with a title and a short Bible passage pertaining to that title, followed by a relevant story from the author's life. Each chapter also includes a pertinent quote, and a one paragraph section titled "Who Am I?" which draws the reader deeper into the topic.
I really like this book. It is just what I need: a daily reminder that I am precious and loved, and that I am enough. Each new chapter confirms what I know to be true: I am valuable, not because of anything I have said or done or thought, but just because God says I am.
Moses asks who am I, and God responds, "I AM." It doesn't matter, really, who we are. What matters is that God is. What matters is who God says we are. And what we are according to God is the subject of this book. We are loved, we are known, we are accepted, we are filled, we are forgiven, we are enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment