Word For Today: Burning Questions

Read: Exodus 3:1-6,10-14

“I am who I am” Exodus 3:14

An old Native American story tells of a young boy who was sent into the woods alone on an autumn night to prove his courage. Soon the sky darkened and the sounds of night filled the air. Trees creaked and groaned, an owl screeched, and a coyote howled. Even though he was frightened, the boy remained in the woods all night, as the test of courage required. Finally morning came, and he saw a solitary figure nearby. It was his grandfather, who had been watching over him all night long.

When Moses went deep into the desert, he saw a burning bush that didn’t burn up. Then God began talking to him from the bush, commissioning him to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of cruel slavery to freedom. A reluctant Moses began to ask questions: “Who am I that I should go?”

God has promised always to be present with those who believe in Jesus.

God simply answered, “I will be with you.”

“Suppose I . . . say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God replied, “I am who I am. . . . [Say to them,] I am has sent me to you’ ” (Ex. 3:11-14). The phrase “I am who I am” can be interpreted, “I will be who I will be” and reveals God’s eternal and all-sufficient character.

God has promised always to be present with those who believe in Jesus. No matter how dark the night, the unseen God is ready to respond appropriately to our need.

Dear Father, thank You for Your never-changing character.

God is always present and at work.

INSIGHT:

Moses’ early life was marked by great opportunities for education, and his status as prince of Egypt allowed him to speak with great authority (Acts 7:22). How different from his life in the Midian desert, where he served his father-in-law as a shepherd, even as God prepared him to lead His people out of Egypt. -- Bill Crowder.

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 41–42; 1 Thessalonians 1