Who Am I?

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Exodus 3:14

There are quite a few examples in the Bible of people answering God with the words, “Here I am” — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, Saul of Tarsus. Most of the time they’re responding to their name being called, but Isaiah responded to a request for action. “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8). Some imagine that he said these words boldly; some believe it more likely that he very timidly raised his hand. Either way, he volunteered.

When God addressed Moses in Exodus chapter 3, the KJV renders his answer in verse 4 as, “Here am I.” But his question soon changes to “Who am I?” once he hears the assignment God has for him. In verse 11 Moses asks God, ““Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Don’t we feel like that sometimes?

God, who am I to teach a Bible class? Who am I to speak to that person about Jesus? Who am I to put myself out there, to take a leadership role, to take a stand against sin….? I’m nobody.

Moses wasn’t a nobody; he had been raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. But he hadn’t exactly left Pharaoh’s house on good terms. He had fled Egypt after killing a man. In his mind he was the worst choice, the last person to go before Pharaoh and make demands. But God thought differently.

Furthermore God had just said in verses 6-8 who HE is and that HE had come down to deliver Israel. It doesn’t matter who we are. It matters who HE is.

Who am I? Well, who were James and John, Peter and Andrew? Just fishermen. Who were Eunice and Lois? Just average Jewish women teaching their son/grandson, Timothy, about God. Who were Priscilla and Aquila? Tentmakers. Who was Esther? Who was Ruth? Who was Rahab?

“You see.. not many mighty, not many noble are called” (I Corinthians 1:26).

Now there is a flip side to this coin. Have you ever been quick to jump in, to volunteer, to pursue an idea, to speak… and then regretted it? I know I have. Of course sometimes we regret it because it’s more work or takes more time than we expected. But even worse is the realization that it really wasn’t my place to do it. Sometimes we jump into things that aren’t our business or our calling.

So I try to ask myself a question I read in Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline: Is this mine to do?

When it’s something I want to do, I need to slow down and ask this question. And when it’s something I don’t want to do, like Moses, I need to ask this question. Is this mine to do? The answer might be yes.

Sometimes we just don’t wanna, but let us be imitators of Christ. Even Jesus asked for the cup to pass from him, that he might be spared from his terrible task, but in the end he was willing to do the Father’s will. “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done,” (Luke 22:42).

So what was God’s answer to Moses when he asked, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” In Exodus 3:12 God reassured Moses with these simple words: “I will certainly be with you.”

Moses then followed up with another question, asking God who he should say had sent him when people asked. In verse 14 God replied with these words:

“I AM WHO I AM…Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

“Here I am” is important. We need to be willing to raise our hands and be counted among the workers of God. But we have to remember it is God Himself who does the work through us. Therefore who I am doesn’t really matter. Because God is the great I AM!

Dear God, please give me discernment to know what is mine to do. Help me not to judge based on my comfort zone or preferences, but help me to seek Your will above all else. Thank You for being with me and giving me the strength to live out Your purposes for my life. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins

P.S. Thank you to Carl Anderson for presenting this idea about Moses during chapel at Weston Classical School in Paris, TN.