This is the name that God gives himself in the Old Testament. And yet it is barely a name—it is a verb! "I Am who I Am". I will be who I will be. God is reminding Moses, and reminding us, that we cannot control God. God will do what God will do—we cannot control, manipulate or coerce God into acting. But God loves us, so we can trust ourselves to the God that we cannot control.

There are two key questions that everyone must wrestle with at some point in their life—is God good? And, does God have power? If there is a God, but He is not good, then we are in trouble! But if God is good, but does not have power, well then we are still on our own. But God promises to Abraham that He is El Shaddai, God Almighty. I have power to do what I will do, to accomplish what I will. Now God gives you and I freedom to mess things up, but even when we do, El Shaddai has the power to redeem, restore, rebuild for He is God almighty and His ways of love and justice will win in the end.

In this painful but revealing account, we see Hagar cast off by the world, discarded by people who should know better. But she is not forgotten, not overlooked. God sees her! God sees her in her need, in her desperation and responds. Do we believe that God really sees us? That is El Roi? Not simply in a Santa Claus kind of, “Naughty or nice list” but as a protector and caretaker who notices your hopes and hurts in all circumstances.

From the beginning of the Bible, this is the name that people called God—Elohim, God the creator. We see it from these opening verses of Genesis. In the other religions of the Middle East, the creation of the world was often described as a mistake, an accident, or even an embodiment of evil intentions. But in the Jewish scripture, from the beginning God is described as powerful, intentional, creative and delighting in all He does. Do we look at the world and marvel at the handiwork of Elohim and his delighting creative powerful intentions. This universe is not an accident, but on-going creative intentions of Elohim. 

Jesus meets with this still motley crew—some believing, some doubting—and gives them a world wide mission. Not because they were so gifted but because He would be with them. Their purpose, their mission was clarified. Now they were no longer to wallow in their grief or questions, but to begin to move forward. No, they didn’t have all of the answers, but they had direction. No, they didn’t have all the resources, but they had the one resource they needed—Jesus himself. Their purpose is our purpose. May we reclaim our commission from Jesus as we move into the rest of the year ahead.

Peter was the number one disciple, the spokesperson for the group, the one who boldly stood up to lead, the one who Jesus promised He would build his church upon. But Peter had failed. Failed miserably and publicly. And he was stuck in that—taking the guys out fishing rather than gathering them for pray and planning. So Jesus meets with Peter again on his own and touches in on those most sensitive failings—and points him forward. Without using the word “forgive” Jesus forgives…by telling Peter he still has important tasks for him to complete, critical leadership work for him to do. Jesus meets us in our failure as well and can point us forward through His forgiveness and grace.