Great I Am | Kristi's Morning Devotional

Have you ever been in the desert on a cold clear night? How about in the desert on a hot blazing day? I have found that the desert is a formidable environment, much more so than the cold mountains.

In Montana we faced some -35 degree temperatures in the winter but in Arizona we have lived through many 110+ degree days. Two things were always welcomed, a good shade and a warm fire.

When I read my Bible I put myself in the story and look around at the terrain, the people, the circumstances. Many years ago I was reading in the book of Exodus and there I saw God’s faithfulness. It was right here in this verse.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Exodus 13:21-22 KJV

Do you see God’s faithfulness? It’s right there in the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. The one thing you need in the desert in the day time is shade and the thing you really need at night is warmth. God provided both.

God told Moses that His name is I AM. I AM your shade and I AM your warmth. Our loving heavenly Father is in the details. He was also I AM your compass or GPS, “follow the cloud and I will not recalculate”. God had the “cloud” before the internet.

This was a big cloud. He was able to keep all the people covered, over 600,000. He is the same loving God today and He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We won’t be abandoned physically, emotionally or spiritually. The Lord provides a covering for us in all areas of our life.

“Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 MSG

Some people get hung up on the “be free from the love of money” aspect of this verse and think that God doesn’t want us to have anything. To the contrary, He wants us focused on Him, He is the giver of every good and perfect gift, He is I AM; so with His promise to never leave us or abandon us we will be well supplied.

The Israelites needed warmth and shade. We may need peace and joy, strength and health, forgiveness and love, prosperity and protection, wisdom and favor. Whatever it is, our God is still the I AM who provides for all our needs.

Stay under the cloud of His provision. It is the shade and warmth we need.

This morning’s blog we are going back to the basics. The bottom line.

All through the Bible God reveals Himself to us. However, we get so busy and distracted that we forget to see that He is there.

When the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He told Moses that he would deliver the Israelites from the bonds of slavery that they were in. God told Moses he wanted him to go to the pharaoh and present him with this message off deliverance. Moses had so many excuses as to why God should chose someone else. Moses asked the Lord what he should tell people qualified him for this task. This was God’s response

“But Moses said to God, “I am not a great man! How can I be the one to go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹²God said, “You can do it because I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, you will come and worship me on this mountain.”

¹³Then Moses said to God, “But if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me,’ then the people will ask, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”

¹⁴Then God said to Moses, “Tell them, ‘I Am Who I Am.’ When you go to the Israelites, tell them, ‘I Am’ sent me to you.” ¹⁵And God said, “Tell the Israelites that you were sent by Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This will always be my name. It is how I want the people to remember me from now on.” Exodus 3:11-15 ERV

I Am Who I AM!

I AM is more than enough. God hasn’t changed since He spoke his name to Moses. He is still I AM. Whatever it is we need, God is I AM!

Jesus repeated this name of God when he ministered to the people. He told them I Am the bread of life, the light of the world, the way, the truth, the life, the resurrections and the door. I AM.

“Jesus answered, ‘The fact is, before Abraham was born, I Am.'” John 8:58 ERV

He is still the same today. His word promises that He is the same; yesterday, today and forever. He is still the great I AM and I AM is more than enough.

I AM – I love that God is I AM! He isn’t I was or I will be – but He is always in the present tense, always here, always near.

“10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Today, if we are still; (some days that’s a miracle in itself – finding time to be still) we will see that I AM is here. He’s waiting to be I AM direction, wisdom, peace, joy, love, hope, understanding, merciful, provision, strength, deliverance, salvation, healer.

Jesus came and touched people where they lived and brought answers to their daily problems. Then He told them that He came not just to meet their daily needs but to provide salvation for the spiritual needs as well.

So I encourage you, us, to be still today and know that I AM still IS!

Tag: Great I Am

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