God is.

I've been thinking and praying in this first week of the New Year about how to have a closer walk with the Lord. How to know Him more. How to seek Him first and above all things. And the first thing I've learned is that before you can know who God is, you have to know that He is. Not just an intellectual awareness, but a heart deep certainty that He is.

In Exodus 3 God appears to Moses in the burning bush and commissions him to return to Egypt and free the Israelites. Moses, who is understandably overwhelmed by the task, asks God for His name. Moses is afraid the Israelites won't believe that God sent him and he's looking for a word that will convince them. And God replies with one of the most amazing words ever given. "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'" Ex. 3:14 (NIV)

And that very statement needs to be the foundation of our faith. God is. There is nothing missing from God. He is in no way incomplete or dependent upon anything else. He is. God is. It's such a simple truth, but if you really think about it, it will shake up your life. God does exist. God is real. God is.

We can't possibly have a lukewarm heart or ho-hum attitude about our faith if we really get a hold of the basic truth that God exists; unchanging, unconquerable and eternal. There's no time, no place, no situation without God. God is whether we acknowledge Him or not, whether we choose to obey His word or not. God doesn't need us to believe in Him. He is whether we accept it or not. But we so need to believe, truly believe, in Him.

When Moses asked the Lord for His name, God gave him much more. God put words to the very essence of His existence. A word of encouragement for times of darkness and doubt. God is. Whatever happens, whatever trials come our way, whatever tasks are put before us...God is.