When God first told me what I would be blogging on for the month of November, I really didn't realize where He was going. The blogs were given in a specific order: Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Provides; Jehovah Rapha, The Lord Who Heals; Jehovah Nissi, The Lord is my Banner; Elohim, God is God; Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley, Who Do You Say I Am and Yahweh, I Am That I Am.
As I sit now and reflect on the topics He gave I realize the pattern. Relationship. When we first come into Christ, we see the Provider. We need something of Him. We need to feel clean and we transition into the Healer. Our minds, bodies, and/or souls need to be restored and delivered. As we build in our relationship with God and become a babe in Christ, we realize that we are soldiers in the army of the Lord and proudly proclaim His banner. As our faith grows, we grow and realize that God is the same God of today, tomorrow and yesterday. We see the sweetness in our relationship and note the smell the beauty of the rose that we've given ourselves over to. But, yet, we are still missing the totality of God.
14 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.’ ”(Exodus 3:14 NIV).
God sent Moses to the Israelites to free them with these words. Knowing that his chosen wouldn't follow Moses without knowing that it was He, the Lord thy God that sent the man with His Word. What got me when I first read this scripture and still gets me now is the reference that the Israelites put on these 5 simple words. It had been passed down from generation to generation that the name of God was special. It was to be held in the highest place of worship. It wasn't to be uttered lightly and tossed about as if it meant nothing. God's name was given to the Hebrews as Yahweh and was so special that it couldn't be written anywhere. When transcribing, Hebrews wouldn't even write the name out fully, using YHWH instead. These 4 letters, 4 Hebrew consonants are known as the Tetragrammation. Often times Adonai (LORD) would be used in place of God's name. It wasn't until much later that Jehovah was used in place of Yahweh.
But, my mind keeps going back to this reference. It was passed from generation to generation. Through captivity. Through good times. Throughout every day life. Can you imagine being in that room? Being there when Moses says I Am That I Am sent me? I get chills at the thought. Some of us think that God has stopped talking. That He only speaks through the bible. But, if you would listen hard enough with your spiritual ears, then you will hear. He's in the whispers of the wind and the roar of the lion. He speaks in the chirp of the bird and through the pure laughter of a babe. God speaks constantly. He never stopped speaking. We just stopped listening, relying instead on our own intellect.
Am is a state of being. It is the present tense of be. It signifies that I am here, I am present, I am breathing. God lets us know in this scripture that He is here, He is present, He is a living God. The world is in turmoil. The world can feel upside down. But, God hasn't left us. He is God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. When your soul is irritated, you may hear Christians say, "He'll never leave you nor forsake you". I use to think this was so cliche. However, the more I think on it, the more I realize the truth of these words. How can the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow leave? How can the Creator of all leave? No, its not Him that forsakes us but us that forsake Him.
Let's go back in time to when you were a teenager. I see some of you frowning now. Remember that time when your mom or dad told you not to do something but you did it anyway thinking you could get away with it. Then it all went south and you needed one of your parents to help you clear it all up? Yep, that's forsaking. That's what it's like with God. When He tells us not to date so and so, or not to go here or there or not to say a word and we open our mouth anyway. That's us forsaking Him. I think one of the hardest things He had me do during this walk was to pray for a woman that wanted to see me destroyed. I wanted to rally against her, cuss her out and literally throw the book (or two or three or twenty) at her. But, God directed me to pray for her instead. Listen, it took me a while (months) to come around to His way of thinking and the entire time I ignored him, the situation got worse. I was forsaking His way, His plan. Once I did what He said, the situation turned around within days.
Being a Christian isn't always easy. There are times when we will battle with what we want versus what God is telling us. Here is what I am learning. The Potter know best how to mold the clay. He knows when to put His design in the furnace and when to take it out. He knows when He needs to smooth out a dent or take out a lump that isn't helping its formation. The Potter - God - the Creator, knows what is best when it comes to His Creation - us. Our job is to walk on the water like Peter did but unlike Peter, not take our eyes off Him. Water walking isn't about our ability but our faith. Our trust in Him has to be absolute, unwavering, and unmovable. We have to be willing to submit to His will and His way and reference Him in the same way that the Israelites did.
Be A Blessing and Not Just Blessed
- Nakya