“And God said to Moses, ’I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, ‘This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (NASB)
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8 (NASB)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NASB)
“Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 (NASB)
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17 (NASB)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26 (NASB)
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:4-6
When Moses took his father-in-law’s sheep up on Mount Horeb, he was astonished by an encounter with the God of the Israelites appearing in flames in a burning bush. Little did he know that this amazing encounter was going to transform him into a shepherd who would deliver Israel from the hand of the Pharoah of Egypt! Shaken at the instructions and searching for confidence, Moses asked God who should he say sent him to ask Pharoah to release the Israelites. God responded, “I AM WHO I AM.” Exodus 3:14 (NASB)
It’s often like that for us, too. When we are surprised by the plans the Lord has for us, we are sometimes joyful, sometimes overwhelmed at the thought of them, just like Moses surely was. It’s good that the Lord only gives us what we need to know or, like Jonah, we would probably run to take that ship headed the opposite way!
God knows our weaknesses and guides us through them. Throughout scripture, God identifies Himself by His character, such as the Lord who heals, the God who provides. He truly is I AM being all that we need. In his letters to the Philippians and the Hebrew church, Paul notes that He is also the “originator and perfecter of the faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB) and assures us that “He will complete it” in us (Philippians 1:6 NASB). He is prepared to meet our needs and lead us through our faith.
Our faith grows by obeying His instructions in the Bible and those He gives us personally. As Jesus told His disciples before He departed, He would send us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to teach, comfort, and lead us in truth. (John 14:26, John 16:13). He will speak to us and show us the way to go through prayer. We grow in wisdom by reading Proverbs and understanding by learning His ways in Bible study. The Lord instructs us in prayer. He enables us to do His will as we step out in obedience. As astounding as it seems, we actually “partner” with Him in bringing the Kingdom to earth through prayer and actions.
As Paul shared with the Hebrews, because of the goodness and integrity of I AM, we can BE all He created us to be. As Paul exhorted, “Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB) Let’s do it!
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