The Great ‘I AM’
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Jeremiah 17:5-10
5. Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." 9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? 10. "I the Lord search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."
We can live our lives two ways: dependent upon our own resources, abilities, strength and wisdom, or dependent upon God. It’s really that simple! I’ve tried it both ways, and I can tell you that left to my own resources, I’m an utter failure! Oh, things may go along fine for a while. I might even have a few good days, weeks, or months, where everything seems to be going my way! But then something happens. Maybe not something big and terrible and life-changing, but something that is difficult to deal with. And that’s where my trouble starts!
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. Whose trust IS THE LORD. When my trust is in myself—well . . . I’ve already told you! So many times I have told God, “Thanks, but I’ve got this under control.” I’ve told Him more than once that I didn’t need any help in dealing with a situation at work, rearing my children, deciding on whether or not to move, choosing to begin a new friendship, and on and on and on. And every time I tell Him that, he responds, “OK. Go for it! Let me know how it all turns out for you!”
You see, he’s better at letting his children learn from their mistakes than I am! He’s willing to stand back and let us test our abilities. He’s willing to let us make foolish decisions, bad choices, and just downright dumb mistakes! And then He stands back and lets us go at it! But He does something else, too! He mourns for us when we turn our backs on Him—not for himself, but for us. Because He loves us so much that He can’t stand for us to be hurt. He doesn’t gloat when we go running back to Him either. He doesn’t say, “I told you so” in a condescending tone, with a smug demeanor. No, he welcomes us back! He rejoices! He throws a party in heaven every time we realize that HE IS ‘I AM.’
I AM is all we need. He’s all we’ve ever needed. I have often wondered why God made us the way he did. I wonder what he was thinking when he breathed a soul into the first man. Oh, I know he could see the future. I know he knew, even then, that the world would be the way it is today. I’m certain he looked ahead and saw that we would continue to reject and refuse him. I just can’t figure out how he has the capacity to let us live anyway!
I AM. God of all creation. God of the eons before a star was placed in the sky—before the sun. God of the centuries before the first angel presumed to be His equal and fell from grace. God of the centuries yet to come – a future we can’t even imagine! God. I AM. He’s in charge. He’s willing to let us figure that out on our own. And he’s willing to welcome us back when we finally “get it.” He is just so amazing!
I don’t know if I’m in kind of an odd mood this morning because I spent 6 ½ hours on I-64 in a snow storm between Virginia Beach and Richmond (a 1 hr. & 50 min drive under normal circumstances!)yesterday afternoon/evening. I saw at least 100 accidents. The road was literally a parking lot. Tow trucks, fire trucks, rescue squads, and nothing for us to do but sit in our cars and wait for it all to be “cleared away.” Those hours afforded me some time to think—always a dangerous proposition! All this stuff ran through my mind and while I never did “figure out God,” I certainly came to love him more deeply and fully as I witnessed the worst and the best of humanity yesterday.
And as I sat in my car, periodically turning the engine off so it wouldn’t overheat, I communed with God—because He was really the only one there with me! I’m not sure if I’m even making a point or not. I just know that I need I AM every minute of every day of my life. And I am absolutely certain He has, does and always will do a better job of running the world than I!
I hope you have a chance today to commune with the great I AM – just the two of you – one on one. And that He reveals to you His tremendous and unspeakable love, demonstrated through his covenant of grace.
Mary
