What Is God Like?

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.'"
—Exodus 34:6-7a

Rewind 31 chapters. Moses stands hesitantly before a bush that is burning but not consumed by the flames, full of excuses for not following the call of God. Moses, trying to wrap his mind around this experience, asks for the voice's name. Perhaps he was just curious, but more likely is that he was seeking authority. If one knew a god's name, you could call on that god and in essence command it. God answered, I AM. I exist. It was all that Moses needed at that moment, though not what he wanted.

I Am... It seems as though there should be more to that statement. As if God was not finished with his answer to Moses or to us. I Am… God cannot be defined by any other single statement, but throughout scripture he uses that statement as a springboard. I Am the Lord who heals you. I Am the Lord your provider. I Am the Lord your peace. I Am the Lord your righteousness. I Am the Lord who sanctifies you. I Am the Lord your redeemer. I Am. I Am.

I Am...what you need, when you need it. It is good to differentiate what we need and what we want. We still face difficulty and tragedy. We still walk through times of pain and confusion. We still have moments where we want to shout at the heavens, "GOD! Are you there?!" But if we listen, we will hear God answer us, "I Am."

Homework this week: reflect on your life. Ask God where he was in the difficult times, and listen for an answer. In what way is God revealing himself to you now?

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