Yahweh Cares About You And Your Life

“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14, NLT)

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” (Psalm 139:7-10, NLT)

Being a mom and ministry wife kept me on the move from morning ‘til night. Juggling priorities became a nonstop activity, and busyness made it easy to relegate my personal time with God to the bottom of the list.

“I’ll read the Word later,” I’d tell myself while dashing out the door, but later never came. I ran on spiritual fumes rather than the Holy Spirit’s flames. It’s no wonder worry and fear began to consume me.

I feared for my kids’ well-being, our family’s financial situation, our future, and my health. I feared not being enough as a ministry wife and not being present to help my aging parents. When I sensed God nudge me to write a book addressing fear, I feared inadequacy and failure. Ironic, right?

One day, finally fed up with fear’s relentless grip and desperate for change, I prayed, “God, when would You like to meet me in the morning? Wake me at that time without an alarm so I don’t disturb my husband.”

He woke me at 5 a.m. the next morning, and the next, and the next until I developed a holy habit. Realizing the significance of God wanting to spend time alone with me drew me from bed to the living room, expectant and hungry to hear from Him.

Developing a friendship with God has helped me move from fear to freedom. I suspect the same was true for Moses.

Fear gripped the 80-year-old when God spoke to him through the burning bush and told him to rescue the Israelites from their Egyptian taskmasters. But God, in His kindness, addressed Moses’ fear by introducing Himself using the name Yahweh (Exodus 3:14).

Yahweh means “I am who I am.” It declares God as the all-powerful creator of the universe. It tells us that He’s self-existent, meaning He always was and always will be. He’s self-sufficient, meaning His existence depends on nothing or no one. He is who He is because He is God, not because time and experience have shaped His character. But there’s more.

Yahweh also infers that this amazing creator God desires to engage with His creation. Imagine! He wants interaction with me and you. He wants to be involved in our daily lives just as He assured Moses that He would be present to help him fulfill his assignment.

The name appears as “LORD” (all caps) more than 6,000 times in Scripture. The sheer volume of occurrence is like a flashing light screaming, “Don’t miss this! It’s important!”

In Old Testament times, the thought of having friendship with holy God was unheard of, but He changed everything by taking on human form and coming to earth to dwell among mankind (Philippians 2:6-8). He showed us what He’s like and invited engagement with us through Jesus, who walked and talked with ordinary people as they went about daily life.

Yahweh, the eternal God who never changes, is not a divine deity who observes us from a distance. He wants to draw near (James 4:8). He wants to walk and talk with you and me as we go about life. He invites us to pour out our hearts to Him and give Him our problems in exchange for His peace (1 Peter 5:7).

Talk about truth that transforms! Let’s do more than nod in agreement. Let’s embrace it and, by it, learn to live unafraid.

Reflect & Pray:

Identify two or three fears with which you wrestle and give them to God.

“Yahweh, thank You for wanting to be involved in my life. Forgive me for the times I’ve not prioritized our relationship and show me how to change my habits to give You first place. I give You these fears and invite You to help me rise above them by reminding me of who You are and drawing near to me as I draw near to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”