I AM THAT 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 

In Bible days, a person’s name was an indication of his nature. That’s 

why we’re told to pray in Jesus’ name. “If you ask anything in My 

name,” He said, “I will do it” (see John 14:14). 

“In Jesus’ name” is not merely a phrase to tack on to the end of your 

prayers, like “over and out.” No, praying in Jesus’ name means praying 

according to His nature, praying in harmony with His heart, praying as 

He would pray if He were in our situation. So in asking God’s name, 

Moses in essence is saying, “What’s Your nature?” And God, for the 

first time, here in Exodus 3, identifies His name as literally, I AM 

THAT I AM. 

“I AM . . . what?” Moses may have wondered. 

“I AM whatever you have need of,” God must have intimated. “Moses, 

you’re on a journey. The task before you is huge and you want to know 

who I am. I AM whatever you need. Not I USED TO BE, not WILL BE, but I 

AM presently. Immutable. Unchangeable. The same yesterday, today, and 

forever. Rock solid. I AM. That’s My name; I AM whatever you need.” 

Fifteen hundred years later, Jesus would shed further light on God’s 

name by declaring, 

I AM the Bread. 

I AM the Way. 

I AM the Truth. 

I AM the Life. 

I AM the Light of the World. 

I AM the Good Shepherd. 

I AM the Door. 

I AM the Vine. 

Jesus took the name of God and filled in the blank. 

“Show us the Father,” said Philip. 

“He that has seen Me has seen the Father,” Jesus answered (see John 

14:9). No wonder two hundred armed soldiers seeking to arrest Jesus 

fell down backwards upon hearing His irrefutable declaration of deity, 

upon hearing Him say, “I am He,” or literally, “I AM.” 

For many years, I didn’t fully understand this, and thought Jesus was 

not I AM but I GIVE, as in “I give bread, deliverance, strength, and 

healing.” Now I understand that He’s infinitely more than that. We 

think we need bread, healing, deliverance, and companionship. In 

actuality, however, we’re craving Jesus. It’s not something He gives 

us, but who He will be for us step by step, day by day.