How do you see your relationship with the Lord? Let’s look at three different relationships that we have with the Lord.
I AM!
When Moses was feeding his flock on the back side of the desert, he saw a bush that was burning, but was not consumed. He stopped to see what was happening. When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, the Lord called him by his name. Moses said, “Here I am.”
Have you ever turned to see what the Lord was doing in your life? There are many things that happen daily that are definitely the hand of the Lord, but so often we never stop and turn to see what the Lord is doing. We don’t have the burning bush, but we do have the cross! Have you ever turned to take a good look at the cross? Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). The Lord draws us to Himself with the cross and when He sees that we turn aside, He calls us by our name, and He says to us, “I AM, THAT I AM!” Do we respond like Moses with, “Here I am.”?
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3:14
What is an “I AM” relationship? It is a relationship where God is present now? It is a personal relationship. Do you talk about God as if He is somewhere else, or do you talk about God as if He is present? Salvation is us becoming aware of God’s presence. He calls us by name and we respond, “Here I am.” This is the beginning of a relationship and the beginning of a new life. Just as the Lord had a work for Moses to do, He has a work for you and me to do as His child and He calls us to that work the moment we are saved. He tells us, just as He told Moses, “I AM, THAT I AM!”
When the Lord says He is the I AM, He is saying He is whatever we need in order to do the will of God. He is our strength, our wisdom, our leader, our comforter, our daily Saviour and He is what we need at this very moment; not was, or will be, but He is our God at this very moment. When He says, “I AM THAT I AM,”, He is saying that is just the way it is. He is saying, get used to Me. This is the way it is. He is God and His will and His purposes will be done. We don’t change Him; He changes us. He is a present saviour. I worry about those who talk about the Lord as if He is a stranger. Have you come face to face with the Lord as Moses did? Not visionally, but spiritually. I don’t see a body, but I feel a warmth of His presence. I don’t hear an audible voice, but I clearly hear His words. Those words say, “I AM here!” What a God we have in the “I AM”.
I WILL!
Our “I AM” relationship is where our faith is exercised. Our “I WILL” relationship is where our hope is exercised by faith. While our God is present with us at this very moment, there are some things that He has promised that will not be fulfilled until a later time. Because we believe that our God will keep His word, we can, with patience, wait for Him to fulfill His promises.
Abraham knew what it was to wait upon the Lord.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:1-3
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
Genesis 13:16-17
These were some great promises. Abraham takes off and wanders for years, waiting for the Lord to fulfill these words. Twenty-five years later he receives his son that was promised, but the land was not given in his lifetime. He didn’t see that come to pass, but the Lord kept His word and did exactly what He said He would do for Abraham. His timing was not at all what Abraham expected, but it happened.
As children of God, we have some great promises from the Lord.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:40
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:3
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:14
We have a promise that we will be raised in the last day. We also have a promise of living with the Lord forever. He is coming again to receive us to Himself. We also have a promise that the Lord will answer our prayers. This is the “I WILL” relationship, waiting for the fulfillment of the promises. Do we live by faith and hope for the promises like Abraham did?
I HAVE!
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:4
Believers in the Old Testament spoke about what God was going to do and we, the church of the New Testament, speak about what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. God reminds us that the work of redemption has been done. Not might be or will be, but has been finished! He says, “I HAVE!”
After a work has been finished, it is time to say thank you! It is time to show gratitude, praise and worship. The Lord Jesus Christ has already overcome this world and all we have to do is live in that overcoming power that He has already provided, so we can finish with the words, “I have overcome!” For through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can do all things!
Now lets move from who God is to us, to who we are to God. When I say, “I am” to God, what does that say to God? Can we say that we are His humble servant? Can we say we are His obedient servant? Can we say we love Him? When He says I am the I AM, that brings to my mind all of the things He is to me. When I say, “I am” to God, that brings to God’s mind all that I am to Him. What kind of a child of God have we become?
When we say, “I will” to God, what have we promised Him? What can He expect from us? He has promised us some wonderful things. What have we promised Him and will we
keep those promises? What have we committed to do for the Lord?
Then we come to the “I have” part. What have we done for Christ? Since He saved us by His precious blood and gave us eternal life, what have we done for Him? Have we walked in the Spirit? Have we told others what He has done for us? Have we had good fellowship with Him in prayer on a regular basis? Have we laid hold on this eternal life He has given us? What have we done for Christ?
When God says, “I AM, I WILL and I HAVE”, these are words that have never been broken, and never been changed. When we say, “I am, I will and I have,” these are words that sometimes we perform and sometimes we do not perform! We are not without sin and we are not always faithful, BUT we should never wickedly depart from doing right.
There is no question what the Lord has done for us. The question is, who are we, what are we going to do and what have we done for Christ? Let’s submit ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit and let Him make us as much like Christ as possible.
GOD
I AM – Present
I WILL – Promised
I HAVE – Proclaimed
MAN
I am – Submitted
I will – Committed
I have – Completed