I Am He – Isaiah 43

God continues to speak through the prophet Isaiah to give us more information about Himself and His position in the universe:

¹⁰ “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.
¹² I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³ Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”  Isaiah 43:10-13 NKJV

God tells us that no other god was formed before Him, and none will come after.  He is unique and all-powerful, unable to be defeated.  No created thing, no matter how strong, can successfully oppose or overthrow Him in a rebellion.

The quote in verse 15, “Before the day was, I am He”, sounds a little strange to us.  It combines the past tense “was” with the present tense “am”.  Perhaps God is telling us that He lives beyond our whole conception of time.  We only experience and understand things with a beginning, a middle, and an end.  But God only has the middle part!  He has no beginning or ending.

We understand from science that the universe started with a Big Bang, and with that explosion, the clock of time and measurement of space began.  Before that, time did not even exist – it was created. We are designed to live within the confines of that creation.  God is not.  He transcends all time and space, declaring the end from the beginning.

Most people at one time or another look up at the stars and wonder if there is some higher power behind it all, something or someone to care about them.  God declares through Isaiah that there is, and that “I am He”.

Rock singer Peter Frampton expressed this sentiment in his song, “Show Me the Way”. 

Who can I believe in?
I’m kneeling on the floor
There has to be a force
Who do I phone?

The stars are out and shining
But all I really wanna know

Oh, won’t you show me the way, yeah
I want you to show me the way
I want you day after day

Written by: PETER KENNETH FRAMPTON

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 1975

God tells us through Isaiah that He is the One to lead and guide us, our only Savior. Jesus Christ died a painful death on the cross to atone for all of our sins, and the Father raised Him from the dead to live in heaven. One day, Jesus will return to earth to reign on David’s throne forever.

Once we have experienced God in our hearts, He asks us to be witnesses to the world of His loving presence and power.  His kingdom grows in the hearts of women and men through the seed of His inspired word and the sharing of our testimony.  Jesus sends us out to tell all the world of His goodness, and to share His comfort and compassion with the hurting souls around us.  He tells us to do everything we can to feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit the lonely, cloth the naked, mourn with the mourning, and help free those who suffer from any type of bondage.  God does the actual work, but in His power, we partner with Him to accomplish this work a little at a time, one day at a time.

Reflection

Thank you, Lord, for the great love You have for each one of us.  Empower us in the Holy Spirit to serve alongside You to meet the needs of those around us today, being an effective witness of You and Your kingdom.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.