Who is God? How is his identity defined? Perhaps we should look at the first name — the only name — He gives Himself: “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). God called Himself the I Am. The Hebrew word hayah, meaning “to be,” is used here. Later writers derived the name YHWH from this word. The name is probably pronounced “Yahweh,” though most translations show it as “Jehovah,” the translator’s best guess at pronunciation. The name “Jehovah” literally means the God who Is.

But what does it mean for God to be the I Am? Again, we can turn to Him for explanation in John 8:58:  “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” The most important thing to know about God is this: that He exists. After all, if that were not the case, why should we believe in Him?

This concept is repeated many times throughout scripture. Visions of heaven speak of a God who is and was and is to come. Past, future, and present meet at the singular being who controls all three. He simply is; there are no dependencies in the identity of the I Am.

Wonderful Counselor

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor…” –Isaiah 9:6

Some names do not establish identity: rather, they describe the character of what is named. We see this with Richard the Lion-Hearted and Cosmas Indicopleustes, the India-Sailor. It’s not enough to know who someone is; we also want to know what they’re like. Many names of God are descriptive. They let us know what His character and actions are like.

Here and in Isaiah 28:29, the prophet tells us that Jesus — the son given to Israel — is “wonderful in counsel.” James writes that God gives wisdom to all men liberally, and Proverbs tells us that wisdom is more valuable than gold. What a privilege it is, then, for us to have the Wonderful Counselor to turn to!

This passage speaks to me of Abram’s faith in God. He wanted his riches to come from the right Source. He wanted to receive the promise and the blessing God had for him, not what man could provide. Thus, Abram made an oath that he would not accept anything from Sodom, the symbol of worldliness. If it meant giving up all the riches the city had to offer – and eventually it did – still Abram would have none of it. His life required the genuine process in order to produce genuine results.

Abram forgot this, of course: he had a son through means God did not intend. The process was improper, and Abram’s son Ishmael had to be cut off from any inheritance. This breach has had effects even to the present day, as the descendants of Ishmael continue to attack the descendants of Isaac. But God provided a way to obtain the promise correctly: He allowed Abraham and Sarah to have a son of their own, the promised child Isaac.

The final act in this drama of the soul is Abraham and Isaac walking up Mount Moriah. God gave this son to Abraham, and now He requires him to be given back. It must have been heart-wrenching for Abraham, but he had learned his lesson: God raised up one son, and He can raise up another if He wants to. But I can’t deviate from His plan. I can’t make that mistake again. The promise is in His hands, and I’ll never get to it if I don’t follow Him. His genuine process produces the genuine promise.

Oh, life offers promises, all right – false promises. They seem to work for a little while, but they didn’t arrive by the right process. False promises are not capable of producing true results. We need the “Faithful and True” to guard our promises. That right process of God changing us will produce the right result.

What are some other effects of a right process? Are there other examples that help you when you’re in danger of forfeiting genuine process? Drop us a line in the comments.