“And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’” Matthew 21:10

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’” Matthew 14:27

“And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” Exodus 3:14

“I”

The letter “I” is a singular letter, written tall and straight and alone in the English language. It encompasses all that is in a person—all that a person is.

When Jesus said “It is I” to the fearful disciples out on the stormy sea, He meant that they should not be afraid because they knew who He was, knew what was in Him. When God said, “I AM WHO I AM,” He indicated it was His Name. It encompassed all that He is, all that is in Him. He then said, “This is My name forever…” (Exodus 3:15), and began explaining exactly what that meant: “I have visited you; I have seen you; I will bring you up out of affliction; I will meet with you; I will stretch out My hand; I will give you; I will send you; I will go with you; I will have compassion on you…” On and on it goes throughout the Bible, and in this life we will never comprehend all that God is when He said, “I AM.”

And though we are connected to one another as the church, and as the Bride of Christ, living in unity with one another, a truth remains: when we stand before God, we will do it alone. I, myself—all that is in me and all that I am—will stand before God alone. I will not be able to look to your recognition of my deeds; I will not be able to lean on your love for me or your approval of me; your words about me will not be acceptable testimony of my worth. Only the witness of One who knows me intimately—Jesus Christ—will be admissible as evidence of who I am, of what is in me.

Each of us only knows others by what they reveal of themselves to us. We may or may not know the “real” them, and certainly not to the extent that God knows them. (This is a good reason not to listen to gossip about others.) We can’t know motives or underlying issues or everything about their past—and we certainly can’t know God’s plan or path for them.

Who am I? I am God’s image-bearer, made in His likeness. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am the adopted child of the Most High God. I am His servant and His friend. I am a part of His Bride and a member of His Body, the church. Nothing can take this identity away from me. Whatever He appoints for my life, whatever pleases Him, whatever fulfills His purposes in me, wherever I go, whether I fail or succeed—I am still these things.

Lord, help us to realize our identity in You. You are the absolute center of our lives around which everything revolves, whether we know it or not. Help us to know it deeply. Amen.