I have recently noticed that a great deal of devotional writing seems to focus on some calamitous event in the life of the writer in which a desperate plea to God eventually solved the concern. Let me be clear, I do not mean to imply that God does not respond to our 911 calls in a moment of crisis. Rather, the point I want to emphasize is that God is much more than a first responder. God would prefer an ongoing relationship instead of an emergency call when things in our lives are falling apart.

To make the point, I refer you to the interaction between God and Moses as related in Exodus 3:13-15. You recall the story, Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, when he discovered a bush burning, but not consumed. The voice of God emanating from the bush commissioned Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of God’s people. Moses was understandably not too excited about the prospect of returning to Egypt, where he had previously killed an Egyptian. His immediate response to God’s call is “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11). When that objection doesn’t get him off the hook, Moses then questions God’s identity.

“If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13) It was believed that to know the name of a deity gave power to the holder of the name.

God’s response to the question, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), is likely not the response Moses expected. In responding to Moses, God does not offer a proper name, but rather God responds by defining God’s nature. God is not limited to human restrictions as may be defined in a name, but rather God is known by what God does.

The revelation of the divine name is a form of the Hebrew verb which means “to be.” The expression, “I am” or “I will be who I am” places the focus on God’s actions on behalf of God’s people, not on a proper noun as might be expected. The name, YHWH, translated as “LORD” is the third-person masculine singular form of the verb. It translates “he is” or “he will be.” Speaking the name YHWH actually poses a question: He will be what? The answer to the question requires further reading in the book of Exodus, where the future actions of God for Israel are recorded, providing the content of the divine verbal name: YHWH will be savior, healer, revealer, covenant maker, etc. The everlasting quality of the name signifies the faithfulness of God’s actions toward Israel into the future. But the meaning of the divine name cannot be discerned through contemplation of the name itself. (Thomas B. Dozeman, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible)

We know God not in the recognition of a name, but in the actions, God takes toward God’s people. As the paragraph above makes clear YHWH is known by what God does.

This means we do God a disservice when we relegate God to emergencies or trauma in our lives. Certainly, God responds to our cries for help, but God wants to be in relationship with us in all of our life’s experiences, not just moments of crisis.

This is dramatically stated in Psalm 23. All too often this song is read at funeral services, most likely because of the traditional rendering of verse 4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” However, to understand the nature of God requires a deeper dive into the language of the psalmist.

I share it here in the language of the NRSV.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

As you read the very familiar words, I call your attention to the words, “you are with me” (emphasis added). The intention is to see God in all of life’s circumstances. God provides comfort, security, and hope. Rather than carrying us over life’s difficulties, God provides something better. That is, we avail ourselves of God’s own self to lean into when night terrors surround us, and we feel alone. We learn nothing from being carried over life’s difficulties. We learn to lean into God. God offers God’s hand to hold and shoulder to lean on.  The psalmist words “you are with me,” speaks to the nature of God.

As parents we want to protect our children from all of life’s disappointments and disillusionments. We know, however, that that is not possible, nor is it desirable. We learn from our failures and disappointments. It is through pain that we learn to grow, mature, and develop into adults. It is a never-ending process.

God understands our need to fail. God does not keep us from failure, disappointment, hurt, and pain. Rather, God does something infinitely more important. In the Incarnation, God joins us in the evolutionary process of being human. God joins us when friends fail, marriages dissolve, children revolt, and loved ones die. The gift of the Incarnation is that the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14). God knows what it is to see friends run away in a moment of trial (Mark 14:50; Matthew 26:69-75). Jesus did not experience a broken marriage, but he understood the pain inherent in infidelity (Matthew 5:28). Jesus felt the pain of recalcitrant children (Matthew 23:37). When his friend died Jesus felt the pain and separation of death (John 11).

Get it?

God knows. God understands. God is wise enough not to carry us over troubled waters or dark valleys. God is loving enough to offer God’s hand inviting us to walk with God into life’s pain secure in the knowledge that we walk hand in hand with YHWH.