The Great I AM
The question was posed to me, "Do you know God's name?" God has many names. He is the Beginning and the End, our Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace and on and on, but his personal name is Yahweh and in Exodus we are taught his name is I AM.
R.C. Sproul wrote about a college theology class he was teaching and he gives an excellent example of how to share what we love about God, our great I AM. This excerpt is adapted from his book Moses and the Burning Bush.
"Many years ago, I taught a college course on theology, and we were studying the names of God. I was trying to illustrate the significance of the names of God, and what they reveal about God’s character. Just before class, a girl, whom I’ll call Mary, walked into the room in a strange, somewhat awkward manner—so that anyone could see the glittering diamond ring on her left hand. I said, 'Mary, are you engaged?' She pointed to a man in the back room and said, 'Yes, to John.' I said, 'Congratulations. When you say you’re going to marry him, I assume you love him—is that a safe assumption?' She said, 'Yes.'
I said, 'Why do you love him?' She said, 'Because he’s so handsome.' I said, 'Yes, he is very good looking. But look at Bill—he was the escort to the homecoming queen this year. Don’t you think he’s good looking?' She said, 'Yes, Bill’s very handsome.' I said, 'There must be something else about John, besides the fact that he’s handsome.' She said, 'He’s also athletic.' I said, 'Yes, he’s good. But Bill’s the captain of the basketball team. Why don’t you love Bill instead of John?' She was starting to get frustrated, and said, 'John’s so intelligent.' I said, 'He is a very good student. Of course, Bill is probably going to be the valedictorian of the class. So, Mary, there has to be something else about John that distinguishes him from Bill in your eyes—something unique to him, that causes you to have this great affection. What is it about him that makes you love him so much?'
She became almost upset and said, 'I love him because . . . I love him because—I love him because he’s John.' And I said, 'There you go. When you want to focus on the crystalized essence of who He is, and what He means in terms of your relationship and personal history with Him, it all comes back to His name.'
I turned to the class and explained, 'That’s why, when we look at God, we know His name is wonderful. In that name, He reveals manifold things about the excellency of His being and the perfections of His character. And that’s why the saints of old, if we asked, ‘Tell us everything you know about God,’ they would finally say, ‘Yahweh—I AM WHO I AM.’”
If someone asked you today, "Why do you love and worship God?" What would you say?
The Song
“Great I AM” Phillips, Craig and Dean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeD79Vj1I5k
