The two words that regularly take my breath away -- that cause me to pause in reverence and awe --- that empower me to do what I do:
I AM.
Don't be so quick to just glance at them as you rush to scan this entry. Stop for longer than a moment. LOOK at those words. SAY them out-loud. LISTEN as the Spirit reverberates those two words like rolling thunder down to the marrow of your being:
I AM.
Did you note the period at the end? It IS a complete thought. NOTHING need be added!
Do those words have significant, life-altering meaning to YOU?
They do to me. You can bet the bank they do to my friend.
God does not dwell in the past. He isn't about His yesterday's achievements.
God doesn't dwell in the future. He isn't about wishful thinking or daydreams.
He is "I AM."
Present tense.
Current.
In the moment.
Ultimate Authority.
Boundless Power.
I want to share with you an exposition Max Lucado wrote concerning the passage of Matthew 14, the storm on the Sea of Galilee:
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From the center of the storm, the unwavering Jesus shouts, "I am." Tall in the Trade Tower wreckage. Bold against the Galilean waves. ICU, battlefield, boardroom, prison cell, or maternity ward - whatever your storm, "I am."
The construction of this passage echoes this point. The narrative is made up of two acts, each six verses long. The first, verses 22-27, centers on the power walk of Jesus. The second, verses 28-33, centers on the faith walk of Peter.
In the first act, Christ comes astride the waves and declares the words engraved on every wise heart: "Courage! I am! Don't be afraid!" In the second act, a desperate disciple takes a step of faith and - for a moment - does what Christ does. He waterwalks. Then he takes his eyes away from Christ and does what we do. He falls.
Two acts. Each with six verses. Each set of six verses contains 90 Greek words. And right in between the two acts, the two sets of verses, and the 180 words is this two-word declaration: "I AM."
Matthew, who is good with numbers, reinforces his point. It comes layered like a sub sandwich:
Graphically: Jesus -- soaked but strong.
Linguistically: Jesus -- the "I am" God.
Mathematically: whether in the words or the weathered world, Jesus -- in the midst of it all.
God gets into things! Red Seas. Big Fish. Lions' dens and furnaces. Bankrupt businesses and jail cells. Judean wildernesses, weddings, funerals, and Galilean tempests. Look and you'll find what everyone from Moses to Martha discovered. God in the middle of our storms.
That includes YOURS!
He's there. Right in the middle of it all.
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Give Him a shout of praise!
Great is our God; the GREAT "I AM"!
Look for Him today in YOUR life!
If you look, you will see. He's right there with you!
POWER in the PRESENT!
"Courage! I AM! Do not be afraid!"
Matthew 14: 27
Much love!
Deborah
www.joyinthemorning.com
(Exposition taken from "Next Door Savior" by Max Lucado.)
Just this week while driving with Karianne, the song came on with these words. I forget who sings the song but it's one of my favorites. She asked what "I am" meant. What a treasure it was to be able to explain to a 6 year old what those words meant. She understood on such a simple level but those two words have a magnitude of depth in them. The song came on again this morning while she was in the car. She sang at the top of her little lungs, "I AM" along with the song. She knew what it meant this time. :)
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