“I AM THAT I AM:” “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM, and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14. There is something about God simply saying, “I AM,” that just stops me in my tracks. The simplicity of it carries such a weight of glory. You can’t add to it, you can’t explain it, and the longer you look at it, the more you realize there is no end to it. You just want more of it. I’m sure that’s the same longing Moses had when he said, “show me Thy glory.” And it’s what we want too, even if we don’t always know how to put it into words. There are moments when reading Scripture feels less like learning about Christ and more like being made to just stand still. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.
Some of the things the Bible says about God are almost hard to take in. We read statements such as, “God so loved the world,” that He gave His Son, that Christ laid down His life for the ungodly, and our hearts begin to ask, “who is this God?” Not just what He has done, but who He is. Is it any small wonder that we are so overwhelmed, yet completely captivated by this, so much so that we want more of it every day and feel lost without it? John 17:3. The more we taste, the more our eyes are opened, and the more we begin to look for it everywhere. And then, almost without realizing it, we do begin to see it everywhere, reflected in creation and witnessed in the Scriptures, all of it pointing us to Christ, “the Holy One of God.” Luke 4:34. “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3.
The gospel message is this good news. Christ came to make the Father known, and He does not point us somewhere else to find Him. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” John 1:18. When He says, “I AM,” He is speaking without qualification. The God who spoke to Moses from the bush is the One speaking now. “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58. MPJ