Who Do You Say that I Am?

Father continues to teach me about the importance of what I speak and think. Early on in this journey of "cleaning up" my confessions, I soon found out that just changing what I say is not enough, for "it is of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks". I find myself continually being challenged now on what I think and even deeper, what I believe.

It was just today that I was praying about a matter that in my heart felt 'hopeless'. In the midst of my thoughts I heard Father say to me, "Who do you say that I am?" I knew instantly that He was not asking me so that I could recite information back to Him, and He was not having an identity crisis, but He was asking, "who do you believe Me to be in your circumstance?"

I love the story of Moses and the burning bush. Besides the fact that it's pretty darn freaky, the story is rich with truth that spurred a stuttering Moses to lead the massive exodus of the Israelites out of slavery. After Moses is given his commission from God, who appears as flames in a burning bush, he timidly asks, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God's answer to Moses is stunning. He says, "Say to them, 'I Am that I Am'. This little Hebrew phrase, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" though surprisingly simple has challenged Hebrew scholars for decades. Some, but not all, of the possibilities include:

I am that I am (Hertz, p 215)

I will be what I will be (Rashi, from Hertz, p 215)

I am who I am (Sarna, 1986, p 52)

I will be what I want to be (S.R. Hirsch from Plaut, p 405)

I will be what tomorrow demands (Plaut, p 405)

It has been noted that Moses never used the name that was given to him by the burning bush. Though Moses inquired of God's name so that he might have something to tell the inquisitive Israelites, I believe that his asking was mostly for himself. Moses needed an anchor for his faith and he got the anchor of all anchors.
Father continues to teach me about the importance of what I speak and think. Early on in this journey of "cleaning up" my confessions, I soon found out that just changing what I say is not enough, for "it is of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks".  I find myself continually being challenged now on what I think and even deeper, what I believe.

It was just today that I was praying about a matter that in my heart felt 'hopeless'. In the midst of my thoughts I heard Father say to me, "Who do you say that I am?" I knew instantly that He was not asking me so that I could recite information back to Him, and He was not having an identity crisis, but He was asking, "who do you believe Me to be in your circumstance?"  
I love the story of Moses and the burning bush. Besides the fact that it's pretty darn freaky, the story is rich with truth that spurred a stuttering Moses to lead the massive exodus of the Israelites out of slavery. After Moses is given his commission from God, who appears as flames in a burning bush, he timidly asks, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God's answer to Moses is stunning. He says, "Say to them, 'I Am that I Am'. This little Hebrew phrase, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" though surprisingly simple has challenged Hebrew scholars for decades. Some, but not all, of the possibilities include:

I am that I am (Hertz, p 215)

I will be what I will be (Rashi, from Hertz, p 215)

I am who I am (Sarna, 1986, p 52)

I will be what I want to be (S.R. Hirsch from Plaut, p 405)

I will be what tomorrow demands (Plaut, p 405) 

It has been noted that Moses never used the name that was given to him by the burning bush. Though Moses inquired of God's name so that he might have something to tell the inquisitive Israelites, I believe that his asking was mostly for himself. Moses needed an anchor for his faith and he got the anchor of all anchors.

I love the translation above by Plaut that says, "I will be what tomorrow demands". Isn't that really what Moses needed to hear? I Am that I Am. I will be All that you need. I Am All sufficient for every problem that you could imagine. I Am the Author and Finisher. I am the Alpha and Omega. I Am that I Am.

So Moses left the flaming foliage armed with all He needed to rally the skeptical Israelites, confront the intimidating Pharoah, and probably most of all, steady the faith of the one he saw daily in his own mirror. Moses had received a name. Not just any name, mind you.  The Name.

So, going back to the question that Father posed to me today, "Who do you say that I Am?", I find my faith buoyed by the shoeless Moses and his encounter with a burning bush. Having read the story, we know that God was there for Moses every step of the journey. He equipped him, empowered him, and met Him in incredibly intimate ways, and I know He will do the same for me.

Bottom line for me is that it's personal. At least I believe it is to Him.  My negative thinking in any area or lack of faith always points to a problem in my belief about Him. Do I really believe He is who He says He is? Can He really do what He says He can do?

Who do you say that I am?