ICS Daily Devotions
The Great I AM
Exodus 3:14 (NKJV) And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Moses was very frank and honest with God regarding his struggle while he was talking to God during the burning bush experience. Moses was not confident of himself. Therefore, he was asking for God’s calling card to present to the children of Israel. There is nothing that we cannot share with the Lord. He knows it anyway. There is no problem or challenges that we cannot bring to Him. He knows we have our limits. We can talk to God regarding our struggles through prayer.
We need to understand that when Moses met up with God, many centuries had passed since the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Israelites had forgotten about what God had done for the patriarchs. They were suffering in Egypt and needed to have a valid reason to trust Moses and the power behind him because they had witnessed lots of things in Egypt. The Israelites needed to know that whoever Moses was representing truly had the power to deliver! We normally will present our calling card whenever we go on a business trip to meet someone new as a business partner or supplier. The card gives us an identity, the credibility and the ability to negotiate on behalf of the company. God told Moses, just tell the Israelites that ‘I AM has sent me to you.’
This name of God, I AM, is a form of the verb “to be” in the Hebrew language. God expressed His self-existence and the unchangeableness of His character. He transcends the past, the present and the future. He has always been, He is, and He will always be.
The great I AM is the inexhaustible God. He has divine sufficiency. There is endless abundance to meet any challenge, demand, or surprise that comes out of unforeseen circumstances. This is the assurance that God was giving to Moses that it is the great I AM who is sending him to deliver the Israelites that the slavery of Egypt. What an all-encompassing name is found in the great I AM!
This I AM was revealed when God showed forth the ten plagues, parting the Red Sea and helping them to escape from the most formidable army of those days. He caused water to come out of the rock, manna to fall from the sky and quails for meals. They experienced healing while looking up on the Bronze serpent. God protected them, provided for them, guided them and fought for them! There were no other gods who were able to withstand the deliverance of the Lord! God was everything to all that the Israelites needed.
Today, many people pride themselves as self-made men because of the achievements in their lives. They have achieved in carving a name for themselves in certain industry. It could be in the medical field, technology, finance, politics, education, agricultural, culture, arts, engineering, aeronautical etc. It is one of the many aspects in a broad spectrum of expertise. However, none of them are able to heal themselves, save themselves from God’s judgment, extend their lives, save their marriage, save their children from sicknesses and calamities etc. We are self-made in one aspect of our lives but we can be a failure in the rest of our lives. We are not self-existent. There were many famous inventors, astrologers, politicians and atheist but they have all died. We are dependent on each other’s expertise. We are not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient. We are finite beings! But God is still present and self-existent when everything on earth has passed away including well known figures in society.
People can continue to deny that there is no God until they enter into eternity. People can deny that God doesn’t exist until they come to the end of themselves or their abilities which will come about very quickly. Only the fools will say in their hearts that God does not exist or there is no God! Therefore, it is important to come back to the great I AM when we come to end of ourselves and need spiritual security.
Sermon series: Meditating on the Names of God
