The great “I am the LORD!”

“I am the LORD, and there is no other, beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).

This is God’s declaration of Himself. He is the incomparable, self-existent, Almighty God who alone has unlimited power and authority “who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

God is omnipotent, meaning He is all-powerful. God said to Abraham: “Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14). The prophet Jeremiah responds: “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17).

God is omniscient, that is, He has infinite awareness, knowledge, and understanding of everything — past, present, or future. “For the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed” (1 Samuel 2:3). This is another of God’s divine attributes. 

God is also omnipresent, that is, He is able to be present everywhere at the same time. God  ever present in the entire universe which He has created. “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?” (Jeremiah 23:23).

Moses asked God: “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13,14).

In His response to Moses, God identifies Himself as “I AM WHO I AM,” and He gave specific instructions to Moses to tell the people, ”I AM has sent me to you.” In so doing, the Israelites will be aware of God’s unfailing authority in leading, guiding, and directing them in their journeys.

God is uniquely self-existent. The very first statement in all Scripture says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God exists from eternity to eternity, which means having no beginning nor ending. And He is the Supreme Creator and sustainer of the universe, having done this without the intervention of anyone or anything.

In his sermon on Mars’ Hill, the apostle Paul preached: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24,25).

In support of God’s eternality, John greets the Churches in Asia as follows,“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:4).

Dr Charles Stanley makes the following commentary: “God never changes. As faithful and loving as He was yesterday, He will also be today, and He will continue to be for all eternity (Heb. 13:8). That’s why He is so worthy of our praise and adoration—because we’re certain that He will help us with the same wisdom, love, and power as He’s helped all of those before us. We serve the God who is alive, who is present, who is here right now, and who gives life and breath to everything that lives (Acts 17:25). He is, whether anything else remains or not” (Dr Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible NKJ, p. 67).

The God who declares Himself as “The great “I am the LORD” and “I AM WHO I AM” remains  the Christian’s God today. And He is worthy of our worship and service, because It is “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Because of who God is we can have complete confidence, faith, trust and hope in Him and His Word. God cannot deny Himself. What He says He means, and whatever He does is perfect.

King David said, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:1-3).

In this Psalm David invites Christians to “Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.”

Hannah, the mother of Samuel, prayed: “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:1,2).

To magnify the Lord means to live lives that will honor and glorify Him in worship, praise, thanksgiving, and adoration. And also declares His greatness and righteousness from day to day.