In the beginning, the earth was a formless void; and darkness covered the face of the deep. Millenia later, our world has taken shape. Now it is scarred by wars, ruled by governments, influenced by cultures, societies, and media.

Today we face a world that is increasingly hopeless. We live where truth and the structures of our society are being shaken. Who can be trusted? Our minds and our devices are flooded with information, but sources are shady, and the truth is disguised. Families dissolve and we search for acceptance. We search but do not find. Who will save us? If there is a God, he remains hidden. The waters seem to have swallowed us up, and it feels like we are sinking to the depths.

But just when we think the darkness has overcome, the hidden God reaches out. He reveals himself that we may know, believe, and understand. He breathes into us, and in the deep waters we are not overcome. We walk through the fire and we are not burned. And he does all of this so that we may proclaim to those who are sinking, to those who are burned by the flames, that he is I AM, and we are his.

Who is this invisible God? He is the Lord our God. He is Elohim, Emmanuel, Adonai, Savior, Lord. He is creator, healer, redeemer. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is God, and there is no other. He is I AM. Despite the darkness, despite despair, he appears in the burning bush, the parting of the seas, the thunder and the rain, in whispers in the night, and even in Christ in the grave. He is resurrection. He is the dawn of a new day. He is doing a new thing; do you not perceive it?

Who are we? We are his. He says he has called us by name. We are precious and loved, ransomed and redeemed. He is the Holy One, but do not fear. Forget not that we have been redeemed. With repentance comes refreshing, and we are ushered into his holiness. He is with us, in the roaring fire and the raging seas. He says, “Do not be afraid... I will be with you.” He was, and is, and is to come.

What do we do? We go, we proclaim. We are his witnesses. We are sent. We have been chosen to know, believe, and understand this invisible God. Yet is he so invisible? Do I hear his voice? Is that his presence that lingers? When I sink to the depths is it he who calls to me? That feeling in my gut, that stone in my soul, that calls out to something beyond me. Is it someone, is it something? Could it be this invisible God, I AM?

Without much to lose, dare I say it? This is the I AM. We are his. He his Holy, yet he is with us. And we are sent to bring his sons and daughters from afar: the rich and the poor, the blind and the lame, the marginalized peoples of our society, the lost and forgotten. We are sent to introduce them to I AM, and this is to truly know, believe, and understand that he is God.