The great I am

God is ...

                    … I am

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.’”

READ - Exodus 3:11-17

God is … I am!?! The header for this first post probably sums up how Moses felt about God’s answer to his question - "I am that which I am”, a title that isn’t really a title, and an answer that isn’t really an answer. He wanted a name and he got a riddle. In His answer though God speaks of both history and mystery, suggesting that the people look back to their ancestors but also forward beyond their imagination of the here and now. 

This passage has been translated in a number of ways, from the traditional “I am who I am” or “I am that which I am” to “I shall be that which I shall be”. In the verses that follow God links his identity to the forefathers of the faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, offering a hint of history in his identity. And yet that is such a small part and it is the mystery that exudes from the passage. "I am" and "I shall be” offer an open ended invite into an exploration of the very nature of God. For a moment, take a step back and imagine gazing on the vastness and the unimaginable enormity of God. In doing so we might try (and fail) to comprehend all that is contained in the being that we call God: all the love that He has given, all the pain that He has shared, all the life that He has created and every star, hair and grain of sand that He has put into place. In all of this God says I am this and more. I am that which I am and I shall be more than that, I am more than you can ever imagine. 

Moses asked for a name, something that should be quite simple, we all have one and it helps identify us. It is your identity, on your passport, your bank account, your driving licence and the list could go on. It lies at the core of who you are, if you want to lose your identity then the first thing you lose is their name. And Moses asks for God’s identity and God rightly responds in such a way that tells Moses he cannot handle his identity. He leads moses back to history, ‘this is the bit that you can handle Moses, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Beyond that, my full identity is far more that you can handle, I am and I shall be all that I shall be.’ Our minds cannot hope to understand a name that sums up all that God is and has ever done and will ever do. 

This is not just a name for Moses, "I am" is a name for us too. Pictured is one of my favourite books, a pocket sized Methodist Hymn book, steeped in people’s praise of the almighty. God is saying to me ‘I am the God of John Wesley, of Henry Dawson (who first owned and wrote in this book) and of all the people who have sung these hymns since. I am the God who has loved you and healed you, the God of your ancient history and your personal history. I am the God who acted before you could ever know it and has acted in your life today and yesterday. But I am more than this, I am the God of all that you can never imagine. I shall be all that I shall be.'


What are you thankful for in the God of your history?

Where are you glimpsing the God who shall be? Where are you seeking the God of mystery?