In His Name Devotionals
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
In His Name Devotionals
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
“Then Moses said to God, Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13, 14)
Has it ever struck you as odd, that of all the names that God could choose to call Himself, He chose “I AM”? Perhaps He was saying to Moses and the people, “I AM” the God who has seen your affliction, and “I AM” the God who is going to deliver you from your bondage and bring you to a land that flows with milk and honey.
Helen Mallicoat penned the following, about God’s name:
“I was regretting the past
And fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
My name is I AM.
He paused. I waited.
He continued, “When you live in the past with
Mistakes and regrets it is hard.
I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.
When you live in the future,
With its problems and fears it is hard.
I am not there.
My name is not I WILL BE.
When you live in the moment, it is not hard.
I am here.
My name is I AM.”
If we are not careful we can deprive ourselves of the joy of being a Christian. How you might ask? By refusing to let go of past mistakes; harboring feelings of guilt and not forgiving ourselves even after we have truly repented and asked God for His forgiveness. Instead of accepting God’s unconditional love, matchless grace and forgiveness, we often beat up on ourselves by continuing to agonize over our past mistakes. We simply need to let go and let God.
The same holds true when we fret and worry about tomorrow or next week or next month. We cannot allow ourselves to be consumed by events, deadlines, health issues, finances or other concerns of the future, a future that is not promised to anyone. To do so we unnecessarily burden ourselves with burdens that may or may not come into being. How much simpler and happier we are when we start each day with a simple prayer asking for guidance and a heart willing to let God be in control. With God at our side, there is nothing that we cannot handle for the day.
What’s in a Name? In God’s case our ability to survive and enjoy life on a daily basis.
