June 17 - Who Am I?
In our relationship with God, we must understand who God is and who we are. The question: “Who am I?” must be asked again and again in order to give the rightful place to the Lord. Things can go wrong if we are confused about the place of God and the place of man. Man can never take the place of God and if we try to do that, we fall into sin and rebellion. “Who am I?” is a question about our being. The human being needs to be hooked up with the divine Being in order for us to have ours.
The psalmist exhorts the priests serving in the house of the Lord to praise God. If any one of these priests asked himself: “Who am I?” The answer can be: “I am a servant of the Lord, I serve the Lord in the courts of His house. My job is to worship and minister to the Lord. This is my portion and my privilege. Only the Levites and the descendants of Aaron could do that. I praise the Lord for He is good. He is great and is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does.”
One of the great prophets of the Old Testament, Elijah, did great things for the Lord during the reign of King Ahab. If he were to ask himself the question: “Who am I?” The answer could look like this: “I am Elijah the Tisbite from Gilead. I am God’s mouth piece, God spoke to me so that I can tell it to the king of Israel. God’s Word will always come to pass. When I am in trouble, God will supply my needs through the ravens, a widow and even an angel. When I am relying on myself, I am fainthearted, fearful, depressed and suicidal; but when the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, I can out run the chariots of Ahab, I can call down the rain, I can defeat the prophets of Baal, I can run for forty days and forty nights.”
The apostle Peter, after seeing the Gentiles going into God’s Kingdom, was challenged by the Circumcision Party. He had to testify from his own experience how he knew that it was God’s will to receive the Gentiles. If he asked himself the question: “Who am I?” His answer can look like this: “I am Simon Peter, one of the twelve disciples. Being a Jewish Christian, I totally rejected the Gentiles as unclean and could never be a part of God’s Kingdom. God changed my heart through visions and circumstances and now I know God is for everyone. I know that I cannot take the place of God and must let God be God.”
Now, if you were to ask yourself the same question: “Who am I?” What would be your answer? Begin giving your answer by saying, “I am …. “ Write this down on a piece of paper or in your journal. Have a clear understanding of who you are and what is your mission in life. How are you relating to God and how are you going to please God and do His will. The answer to this question is how you acquire your own being before the Lord. Relate to Him today.
Ps 135:1-7 1 Kgs 18:1-46 Acts 11:1-30 Prov 17:12-13