Week Seven - Yahweh: I Am Enough Because He is I am
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Have you ever felt like you were lacking? I mean honestly living from a place of scarcity. There are moments where I just don’t feel like I am bringing enough to the table. I feel like I get overlooked, I just don’t feel like I’m contributing enough to my family, my work, my marriage, or my kids.
I’m trying to make sure that everyone else is doing alright. I forget about myself and I’m not able to focus on what really sustains me. In these situations, it is easy to and not feel whole, or not feel like I am enough.
If I am honest, these moments happen to me a lot and in my experience, this usually happens when I am furthest from God.
When I get in this headspace, I’m reminded (usually by my husband) of one of the names for God, which I find to be one of the most powerful, profound yet simplistic names for God. Yahweh.
Name of God - Yahweh – Lord “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4)
In the original Hebrew language Yahweh is translated as I am.
And this is what I want to dive into today. “I am”
In Exodus we read:
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning, you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.”
Exodus 16:11-15 NLT
Can you imagine being in the desert and having God provide your meals? I mean every morning and every night. This miracle of making sweet bread appearing every morning to the people of Israel, as they are in the wilderness, shows how intimately connected God wants to be with humanity.
Since the world is fallen, and God is perfect He’s not able to walk alongside His creation, but He’s able to provide fresh bread in the morning to His people and ensure they are taken care of. He says they will know that I am the Lord your God.
We see that Jesus also references Himself as I am multiple times in scripture. Since we know Jesus is the son of God but also connected to God through the Trinity, this is extremely significant, and this directly points to Him being God. Here are a few examples:
I am the bread of life
“Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35 NLT)
When Jesus says, I am the bread of life, He is saying He can satisfy our deepest needs. He genuinely cares for his creation. If He can bring bread to the people of Israel in the middle of nowhere, He can take care of my needs – our needs.
I am the light of the world
In John 8, verse 12 we read, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Immediately before this verse, Jesus pardons the women caught in adultery.
A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As He was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with His finger. They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then He stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11)
With this context we see that in John 8:12 Jesus is essentially speaking to the crowd of on lookers, accusers, and His precious daughter who is being accused.
This story in the bible is such a beautiful reminder that God never asked us to be perfect. He is only asking that we follow him. As a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, employee, and Christ follower, this is a relief.
I am the vine
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5 NLT)
Apart from me you can do nothing.
This phrase gives so much peace. Jesus doesn’t expect us to do anything without him. You can let go of the control (I know it’s hard). He never asked us to do this alone, because He never intended us to do any of this without Him.
What does it look like to fully accept God as Yahweh?
For me this is learning that I must cling to Him when I feel like I’m not enough, I feel like I’m lacking, I’m trying to do life by myself. I need to shift my focus away from myself and onto Yahweh, the I am.
When I feel unfulfilled, He is the Bread of Life
When I find myself in darkness and don’t see a way out, He is the Light.
When I am walking alone and feel like I am coming up short, He is the Vine.
I truly know that I am enough because I trust in the I am of Yahweh.
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, we come before you, broken, depleted, and needing rest. We surrender our shortcomings to you. We ask that you go before us and ease the burdens we face in our everyday lives. We ask that you bring light to the dark situations we face. We ask that you continue to walk beside us every step of the way. Thank you for letting us come just as we are and giving us peace and rest in knowing who you are. Amen.