My Christianity is my existence. My relationship with Christ defines me. My belief moves me. I live it, breathe it. But sometimes I must take a step back to reflect and remember, reflect on who He is and what He has done. And not just who He is to me, or what He has done for me, but rather, Who He is in His existence, and what He has done because of who He is...His wonderful works of creation, redemption, heaven.
It is humbling to acknowledge that I often revert to seeing from a foggy self-perspective. To think outside of myself for a moment brings understanding to the Psalmist's question, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him" (Ps 8:4).
Consider Isaiah after King Uzziah's death, able to see God high and lifted up in all His holiness. Isaiah turns from a moment of loss and grief, uncertainty, to awe-inspired humility and committed service to the Holy One. Consider John on the Isle of Patmos who hears the thunderous voice and sees the eyes as flames of fire, and falls as dead in awe-inspired worship. Consider Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, rendered speechless in awe of His glory.
In Exodus, Moses questions God as to how he is to explain to the children of Israel and to Pharoah just Whom he is speaking for. How do you explain His Person? How do you fully convey the power, the authority, the holiness? Moses intimately knows God in His great power. He has left his presence veiled so that others would not be blinded by the brightness of the Glory of God that Moses has experienced. The explanation rests in His Name. "Tell them I AM has sent you." "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM." It was enough.
I AM. The Ever-existing One. The All-Sufficient One. The All-Powerful One.
We function on beginnings and endings. We begin a day, a week, a year, and plan it with the end in mind. We age from birthday to birthday. We change from one season of life to the next as moments and milestones make us keenly aware there is no going back. It is understandable that the Eternality of our God is a concept we readily accept but find mind-boggling to comprehend and act on.
I need an occasional mind-boggling. If you're like me, you think concretely, you live routinely. Our world can become so small and it takes a determined effort to be sure it is not revolving around us. It's not that I stop believing. I know and believe, but day spills into day before I realize I'm not fully experiencing the impacting awe of His Person. I know His works, but all of a sudden they're not inspiring me anymore to passion and worship. I would not deny His Power and Greatness. I know He is Holy, but suddenly I realize the awe has wained, and my adoration and humble service have become routine. And I wonder what has happened!
The Great I AM does not change. He is "the eternal, self-existent, and immutable Being; the only being who can say that He always will be what He always has been."*
That's awesome. Be awed today.
"this is my Name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." Exodus 3:15b
*quote by Bible commentator G. Bush
