I’ve Seen I AM

I have been playing (mostly) and singing (somewhat) to the LORD earlier, and I pulled out the song “I’ve Seen I AM” from the guitar case. The verses are mellow, laid back, and reflective. But in the chorus, it’s “pull out all the stops, let it loose, and give it all you got:”

I’ve seen I AM
Now I know that I am loved
I’ve seen I AM
Now I know who I am

As I played the chorus, it sent me into a dream-like trance, which music sometimes does to me. Can I really say that I’ve seen I AM? In this song, I believe that I AM refers to Jesus. Can I say that I’ve really seen Jesus? At first glance, I am compelled to say no. When I first became a believer in Christ as my Savior, I really wanted to have a supernatural experience of who Jesus is. Others have had supernatural experiences when they first said yes to Jesus’ plan for their lives. You know, coming out of the waters of baptism and filled with the Holy Spirit. Yeah, I think that I could dig that, but the Spirit was not cooperating!

As I matured over the years, I think that I have been seeing I AM all along, but I was not recognizing Him. It was a malfunction of my eyes and not the failure of God to show up. He dearly longs to show up in my life! Let me explain:

Years ago, when my son John was eleven or twelve, I saw him and two other boys playing on the porch two doors down. I was just arriving home from work. Bobbie did something stupid to Ezzie (I don’t remember exactly what it was, maybe throwing something at Ezzie that hit him in the head or spilling a soda all over him… just something that kids do without thinking). Well, as you may have guessed, Ezzie jumped up ready to give Bobbie a thrashing! I was thinking that I need to get over right now to intercede.  But to my amazement, John beat me to it. John was always a little bit bigger than the others his age. He grabbed Ezzie in a bear hug until the flailing arms and legs eventually relaxed and all the anger drained from Ezzie’s body.  In that very moment, I have seen I AM! I did not recognize Him at that moment, but I know He was there at that time. Kids, that age, especially city kids, do not react like that!

I bet that you have seen I AM also. Did you ever plant a seed in some soil? What happened? Did you pull a shoot from the seed into the sunlight? Did you attach some leaves to that fragile shoot? No, I AM did all that! See, you have seen I AM. Seeing I AM is not necessarily seeing a man with a beard and long hair (although some have seen Jesus like that). You are more likely to see I AM in the ordinary things of life – a kind word, the salty breeze at the beach, the artist’s brush stroke, or the deep heart-touch of the scriptures.

As John Newton sang, “I was blind, but now I see”.

Mike Shirley