Listen to Nancy’s answer recorded live on Moody radio, here:
In times like this, when there are wars and rumors of more wars, where do we go for comfort? Our natural inclination is to look to our leaders and military troops for answers and hope. The Holy Spirit in us tells us to go to our LORD and pray. The brightest of human minds cannot undo the ramifications of continuous sin that has led our nation and the world into chaos. Without God and His wisdom and power, there is no hope. Sadly, many are praying to a God they do not know. God is not a god who does people’s bidding. His purpose is not to make you happy. God is holy and the forgiver of our sins and our Lord. When we trust in Him as our Savior, we can have peace during terrible times. When we pray and seek to know, love, trust, and follow the one true God, He will hear us!
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles:7:13,14).
We can learn about God by studying the meanings of His names from the Bible. The names for God in the Old and New Testaments all reveal His nature. Some of the more prominent names include: Elohim, which means strong and is a plural form pointing to the Triunity of God; El Shaddai stresses God’s loving supply and comfort but can often point to the power of God who corrects and chastens; and El Elyon, meaning the Highest God which emphasizes God’s strength, sovereignty, and supremacy.
One name shines out from all others because it is the name that God gave to Himself. In Exodus, we read, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’ Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and 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 said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you'” (Exodus 3:10-15).
The English translation for I AM is Yahweh. It is so holy that the Jews traditionally do not speak it. When they write it, they write without the vowels. God says that I AM, Yahweh is His name forever to be remembered through all generations. I AM reflects God’s nature of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence does not depend on anyone. God promises that He will be who He is; He is eternal. He is forever present and unchangeable. In times of trouble, we can go to Him. With God, anything that aligns with His will is possible. He is ready and able to intervene at any time!
Jesus is the Father’s Son. He and His Father are identical in nature, but separate persons as part of the tri-unity of God: God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus also calls Himself I AM. When Jesus announced that He was the I AM, We read in John 8 that His fate was sealed. Jesus was talking with the Pharisees when they asked, “Are you greater than our father, Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I AM!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:53-59).
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:7-9).
“Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Knowing that our God is the I AM, means that in the good times and in the hard times, our Lord is with us. He is the one true God who lives outside of time, knowing the beginning and the end. When God says that He is in control and we have nothing to fear, we can believe it. When we put our faith in the eternal I AM, death nor life can separate us from Him.
“To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing… Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:25-31).