“I AM”

Welcome to today's word of encouragement from your friends at Our Daily Bread. Today's devotional titled, I Am, was written by Kenneth Peterson. Jack, a professor of philosophy and literature, had a brilliant mind. He'd declared himself an atheist at the age of 15 and in adulthood adamantly defended his atheistic faith. Christian friends tried to persuade him.

As Jack put it, everyone and everything had joined the other side. But the Bible, he had to admit, was different from other literature and myths. About the gospels, he wrote, If ever a myth had become fact, had been incarnated, it would be just like this. One Bible passage became most influential to Jack. Exodus 3. God was calling Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses asked God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? God responded, I am who I am. This passage is a complex play on words and names but reflects God's eternal presence from the beginning. Interestingly, later Jesus echoed the same when he said in John 8, before Abraham was born, I am.

Jack, better known as C.S. Lewis, was deeply persuaded by this passage. This was all that the one true God should need to say, simply that he is the I Am. In a life-changing moment, Lewis gave in and admitted God was God. This was the beginning of a journey for Lewis toward accepting Jesus.

Perhaps we struggle with belief, as Lewis did, or maybe with a lukewarm faith. We might ask ourselves if God is truly the I Am in our lives. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the second book in the Bible, Exodus, chapter 3, verses 11 through 15. Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. Moses said to God, 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 said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites.

I am has sent me to you. God also said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. Let's pray. Dear God, we come to you in awe of who you really are.

You are the I Am, and there is no other. We pray for those who have yet to be convinced, and may your love soften their heart and open their eyes to your presence. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.