is for Yahweh.

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” -John 8:58

When Moses meets the burning bush in the desert, He asks for God’s name. The name that God gives for Himself is Yahweh, which means I Am who I AM, or simply I AM. This name tells us that if you want to know who God is and what He is about, look at the things He does.

I AM does awesome stuff. He brings plagues to Egypt to free His People. He controls the water when He parts the Red Sea. He Makes food appear on the desert floor so that His people have what they need to survive. He goes with His people as they wander the desert as a column of fire and cloud. I AM is a powerful God. I AM is the perfect God for a trapped, lost, and needy people.

Because of our sin we are trapped, lost, and needy people. We need an I AM God.

Jesus is I AM too. In the Gospel of John, Jesus calls Himself I AM at least seven times. But more than that, He shows that He is I AM. He controls the water when the disciples find themselves in the middle of the sea during a frightening storm (Mk 4:39), He makes food for His followers when there was none (Mk 6:41-44), and by being born as a baby, He comes to live with His wayward people.

Jesus came to earth as a baby to show that God hadn’t forgotten His people, that He was still with them. But most importantly, Jesus came to do the most powerful saving that God had ever done. He went to the cross to defeat all of the sin of the world.

Your sin is forgiven. The sin of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Totally, entirely gone in Jesus’ name. How did He do it? Because He is I AM, the God who protects, guards, and loves His people.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for all You do for Your trapped, lost, and needy people like me. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN.

ACTIVITY: Family Absolution. Mom or dad, take a few seconds and remind each member of your family that they are loved by God and that their sins are forgiven. Sample absolution: [name], beloved child of God. Know that you are forgiven because Jesus died for you. (Draw a cross on their forehead)