"It Is I"

"It Is I"

    "In all Thy ways acknowledge Him… "It is I, be not afraid" (Proverbs 3:6; John 6:20).

    Because we "live and move and have our being" in God, He saturates our existence to a degree we cannot presently comprehend (Acts 17:28).  Our residence in a world occupied by devils and fallen flesh (including our own) hinders our awareness and access of the greatest truth in our lives, namely, the Person, presence, and pervasive activity of our Creator.  David realized the reality:

    "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?  Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?  If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 139:7-10).

    God dwells as the Blessing of every blessing.  He is the meaning of every seemingly mundane moment.  He is the chief content of our challenges, bestowing an extra portion of Himself as "a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1; emphasis added).  Thus, there is Someone to gratefully appreciate along the pleasant pathways that elicit happiness, smiles, and enjoyment.  There is Someone to remember and affirm in the midst of seemingly ordinary, repetitious responsibilities of life that may seem like drudgery, but which actually teem with the living presence of God.  And in troubles, there is Someone who speaks to His trusting children in Christ the same promise of hope declared to His disciples as He walked to them upon roiled seas: "It is I, be not afraid."  Indeed, whatever the conditions and circumstances this moment brings to our doorstep, God Himself promises Himself as the Great Fact of our now.

   "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10).

    "It is I."  Whatever life brings to us, the Voice resounds from the epicenter of all things.  "It is I."  If we could see but the hem of His garment, we would know by sight that which we must now know by faith.  Creation teems with the risen life and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This includes our moments, our venues, our circumstances, our situations, and our conditions.  The great God, the God and Father of our Savior, supplies the Great Fact of this moment.  We see it - Him - "through a glass darkly," and in the earthly sense, we do not see Him at all as we "walk by faith, not by sight" (I Corinthians 13:12; II Corinthians 5:7).  The Great Fact nevertheless prevails as the truth and reality of this moment, and as the Life of our lives.  "It is I."  The Voice we cannot hear, but rather know by trust in the Word and Spirit of God beckons us to realize and affirm the Great Fact that speaks peace to us in all things.  "It is I."

"To live is Christ."

(Philippians 1:21)

Weekly Memory Verse

   For Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with Thee.

(Psalm 5:4)