Who Am I?

 

     Have you ever struggled with your identity?  Do you define yourself by your job, your school, your role in your house, or how?  Sometimes when we lose our role or job, we wrestle with who we are.  Our identity must be grounded in Jesus and following Him.

     "When I encounter the great I Am, that's when I discover who I am."  [M. Fry]

     Just like Moses struggled with his identity, when God sent him to speak to the Israelites, then Moses found his purpose.  Exodus 3:9-14 "And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.  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[b] 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.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.""

     Often we try to fill the void in our lives with the things of this world, but true satisfication comes from God alone.  "God can give you peace and purpose as you have a fresh encounter with the great I Am."  [M. Fry]

    Ephesians 3:20-21  "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

     God not only gives enough, but He gives more than enough.  We need to worship and praise God first for who He is and not just for what He can give.  God is more than a Provider, He is our Sustainer. 

      Colossians 1:16 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him."

     As for myself,  I have been stripped of most of my titles that I have held in this world.  That's ok, because no one can take away or come between the love that Jesus has for me.  His plan and purpose for me will never fail.  In that, I rejoice..Amen!

The Wait

 

     We live in a world of instant gratification, so waiting isn't easy for any of us.  Waiting is hard, because we don't know long it will last.  Waiting is hard, because we aren't sure if we will get what we really want after the wait.  Waiting is hard, because we don't trust that whatever happens is for our good.  Waiting is hard, because we don't feel in control and forget that God is always in control.  Patient, confident trust in the Lord is the key to overcoming our impatience with waiting.

     In Psalm 27,  David expresses authentic faith and courageous trust in God, based on his confident expectation that the Lord will rescue and save him in his time of trouble.  [gotquestions.org]

     How do we wait on the Lord and His timing:

By Trusting in Him:  Trusting God conquers our fears and unhappiness.  We must rely on God to regain our sense of hope.   There is no one else that you can put your trust in, like God.  Psalm 27:1-3  " The Lord is my hlight and my salvation;jwhom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold1 of my life;of whom shall I be afraid?  When evildoers assail me to keat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident."

By Seeking Him:  When we tell God, how much we want to be in His presence and surrounded by His glory then we will feel closer to  Him,  When we search His word for direction, we will feel safer and more secure.   Psalm 27: 5-8  "For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;he will lift me high upon a rock.  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!  You have said, “Seek my face.”My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek."

By Prayer:  David asked God for wisdom, direction, and protection, wholly believing he would “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”.  When we talk with God in prayer, He hears our cries and pleas for help.  He doesn't put us off or ignore us.  He is always at work and answering us, according to His will.  Call upon the Lord.

     "Waiting on the Lord involves the confident expectation of a positive result in which we place a great hope. This expectation is based on knowledge of and trust in God. Those who do not know the Lord will not wait on Him; neither will those who fail to trust Him. We must be confident of who God is and what He is capable of doing. Those who wait on the Lord do not lose heart in their prayers: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” . Waiting on the Lord renews our strength . Waiting on the Lord by trusting, seeking, and praying establishes our faith and brings serenity and stability: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him” (Psalm 40:1–3). As this passage affirms, waiting on the Lord is also a testimony to others who will see our faith and, as a result, put their trust in God."  [gotquestions.org]

     As for myself, I've learned a lot about waiting on the Lord in my 50 years.  I feel like most waiting is related to the opening of human hearts to do what the Lord is calling them to do.  Whether you're on the giving or receiving end, we're all a part of the waiting game of life.  Phillipians 3:20-21  "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body:"    I think God surely waits on us, more than we wait on Him.  Jude 1:20 "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."