The garden is quiet, still. The earth, adorned with the fingerprints of its creator, waits in hushed anticipation. Stars strung across the night sky blink in expectation.The animals gather, watching as God forms a creature unlike anything else in all creation. The angels gasp as the Most High, clothed in splendor and majesty, stoops down into the dust and forms a man who will bear His likeness.
In Chapter One of Genesis, God is called Elohim. Elohim speaks and stars form. Elohim speaks and the waters separate. In Chapter Two, another name is added. He is now not only Elohim but Yahweh Elohim. Although this name wouldn’t be explained until much later, it’s there in the opening pages of the story. That ancient story of the God who would come to dwell on earth.
Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
“Who is He?” We ask.
Yahweh. I AM. And the stars sing with wonder.
Yahweh is the name of the God who gets down in the dust as He forms the first man. Yahweh is the name of the God who is so close, His breath fills their lungs.
I AM. He’s here.
The desert is quiet, still. A bush, engulfed with the fiery presence of the Holy One, burns with anticipation. He’s come to deliver His people from the chains of their slavery.
“Who are you?” Moses asks. “Who should I tell them is sending me?”
“I AM,” God replies. And the earth quakes with longing.
Yahweh is the name God attached to His presence. It is the name that sets Him apart from the gods of the other nations. It is also the name that displays His personal dealings with His people. At its core, Yahweh means to be. There isn’t a particular tense to the word. In effect, it encompasses past, present, and future tenses. Thus, it could be “I was. I am, or I will be.”
Yahweh is the name of the God who would dwell in their midst and fight on their behalf. The same God who got down in the dust to breathe life into humanity was the same God whose presence would guide His people through the dust of the desert.
I AM. He’s here.
The stable is quiet, still. The earth, worn down under the curse of sin, holds its breath with desperate aching. Those same stars strung across the night sky blink with expectation. The animals gather, watching as the Creator once again stoops down to dust. The angels gasp as God — adorned in splendor and majesty — now wraps Himself in flesh.
Many years later the people ask Him, “Who are you?”
“Before Abraham was, I AM,” He claims. And their hearts tremble with disbelief.
Yahweh. He’s here. With us. The same God who got down in the dust to breathe life into humanity is the same God who walked in the dust to save that same humanity and bring them back to life.
I AM. He’s here.
The morning is quiet, still. A heart, adorned with the fingerprints of its creator and marred with the ugly scars of sin, waits in anticipation. The lights on the tree dance with expectation. The choir sings with exultation. The wind whispers with tendrils of hope. God, wrapped in the very dust-covered flesh of his creation, has finally come.
Yahweh. He was. He is. He will be. He’s here. The God who breathes life into dusty, sin-worn hearts. The God who stoops down to walk this dusty, sin-worn earth to save us and bring us back to life. Yahweh — the great I AM — adorned in majesty and splendor, now covered in our dust, is here to dwell with us.
I AM. He’s here. And our souls burst with worship.
The question is … where are you? Where is your worn and weary heart looking for hope this Christmas? Where are you running to find rest? To whom will you bring your ragged longing, your anxious yearning, your worn-down trying, and your endless craving?
He’s here, arms waiting and open for you.
The morning is quiet, still. A heart, adorned with the fingerprints of its creator and marred with the ugly scars of sin, waits in anticipation. The lights on the tree dance with expectation. The choir sings with exultation. The wind whispers with tendrils of hope. God, wrapped in the very dust-covered flesh of his creation, has finally come.
Yahweh. He was. He is. He will be. He’s here. The God who breathes life into dusty, sin-worn hearts. The God who stoops down to walk this dusty, sin-worn earth to save us and bring us back to life. Yahweh — the great I AM — adorned in majesty and splendor, now covered in our dust, is here to dwell with us.
I AM. He’s here. And our souls burst with worship.
The question is … where are you? Where is your tattered and weary heart looking for hope this Christmas? Where are you running to find rest? To whom will you bring your ragged longing, your endless craving, your anxious yearning, your worn-down trying?
He’s here, arms waiting and open for you.
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