Who is God? Who is Jesus? The Bible has references to both as I AM. This meditation on the praise song by Eddie James explores that connection to deepen our understanding of God and Jesus Christ, and what I AM means to us.
Eddie James was born on August 3, 1962. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, he became a Christian at age 8. He attended the Church of God in Christ in Phoenix. James founded the Phoenix Mass Choir and is an acclaimed worship artist who has shared his musical talents with many well-known world ministries.
Currently, he is the Worship Director and Associate Pastor at Nations Church in Orlando, Florida.
He has written a number of worship and praise songs; one of his most famous is “I Am.” The performance of “I Am” by the Dallas First Baptist Choir featuring Dr. Leo Day (linked at the end of this meditation) is very powerful. I pray that you will be blessed by that performance as well as this meditation on “I Am.”
First, let’s look at the words to this praise song. Notice the repetition of the phrase “I Am” in the lyrics. It occurs 76 times in the body of the song. So, Eddie really wants us to consider that phrase very carefully.
I am the Lord, I’m the Almighty God
I am the One for when nothing is too hard
I am the Shepherd, and I am the Door
I am the Good news to the bound and the poor
I am, I am
I am, I am
I am the righteous One and I am the Lamb
I am the Ram in the bush for Abraham
I am the Ultimate Sacrifice for sin
I am your Redeemer, the Beginning and the End
I am, I am
I am, I am
I am Jehovah
And I am the King
I am Messiah, David’s Offspring
I am your High Priest, and I am the Christ
I am the Resurrection, I am the Life
I am, I am
I am, I am
I am the Bread, and I am the Wine
I am your Future, so leave your past behind
I am the One in the midst of two or three
I am your Tabernacle, I am your Jubilee
I am, I am
I am, I am
I am the Bread, and I am the Wine
I am your Future, so leave your past behind
I am the One in the midst of two or three
I am your Tabernacle, I am your Jubilee
I am, I am
I am Hope, I am Peace, I am Joy, I am Rest
I am your Comfort, and Relief from your stress
I am Strength, I am Faith, I am Love, I am Power
And I am your Freedom, this very hour
I am, I am
I am
I am Hope, I am Peace, I am Joy, I am Rest
I am your Comfort, and Relief from your stress
I am Strength, I am Faith, I am Love, I am Power
I am your Freedom, this very hour
I am, I am
I am, I am
I am.
“I AM” in the Old and New Testaments
To examine the initial use of the phrase “I Am” we need to review the birth and life of Moses. He was born during a time when male Jewish children were to be put to death by order of the Pharaoh. However, Moses’ mother hid him for 3 months after he was born. When she could hide him no longer, she put him in a basket and placed it among the reeds near the bank of the Nile river.
The daughter of Pharaoh came to bathe at the river and discovered the baby. She took pity on him and paid a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. That woman was Moses’ mother. Moses became the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter with all the privileges of the royal house.
One day, Moses observed an Egyptian beating one of his people (a Hebrew). Moses struck the Egyptian and killed him. Fearing for his life after this deed was discovered, he fled to the country of Midian where he remained for 40 years.
He was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, in Midian, when God called on him from the burning bush. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring His people out of the land of Egypt (and bondage).
Moses, who was fearful and unsure of himself, kept arguing with God that he did not have what it would take to do this very difficult task. But God insisted. When Moses asked God who he should tell the Hebrew people had sent him, God responded, “say this to the people of Israel, ‘I Am has sent you’.”
This phrase (“I Am”) comes from the Hebrew verb “to be.” In essence, God is saying to Moses and us that He is eternal in His existence, had no beginning and is not becoming something different from what He is. This record regarding Moses is found in Exodus, chapters 3 and 4.
Now, let’s go to the New Testament and see how Eddie James’ lyrics are derived from scripture referring to Jesus. One good approach is to look in the book of John. That book begins with the following.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
John 1: 1-2
John’s message to us is that Jesus is God, and He has been with God always. Jesus used this phrase “I am” a number of times in John’s gospel referring to Himself.
We will focus the remainder of this meditation on selected passages from John which are in direct support of this theme.
Jesus had an ongoing verbal battle with the Pharisees. They consistently accused Him of blasphemy because He claimed to be God. On one occasion, they claimed that Abraham was their father (John 8:39 – 59). Jesus responded that Abraham had seen Him. The Pharisees criticized Him severely and indicated that since Jesus was not yet 50 years old, He could not have seen Abraham. Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus was claiming to be God and to have been with God in the beginning. So, they picked up stones to kill Him.
When the soldiers and some officers from the priests and Pharisees came to arrest Jesus in the garden, Jesus asked them; “whom do you seek?” They answered that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus responded, “I am.” They drew back and fell to the ground. Their initial response was consistent with the phrase “I Am.” This phrase was associated with the God of the Old Testament, Yahweh. But in an act of rejection, they got up, arrested Him, and eventually crucified Him (see John 18).
We also note in Eddie James’ lyrics specific references regarding “I am.”
I am the Shepherd.
In John 10:11 we read the following.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
I am the Door.
In John 10:9 we read the following.
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
I am the Lamb.
In John 1:35 – 37 we read the following.
“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.”
I am the Messiah.
In John 4:24 – 26 we read the following.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
I am the Resurrection.
In John 11:25 we read the following.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
I am the Life.
In John 14:6 we read the following.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I am the Bread.
In John 6:35 we read the following.
“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
I am the King.
In John 18:37 we read the following.
“Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose, I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
I am Joy.
In John 17:13 we read the following.
“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
I am Love.
In John 17:26 we read the following.
I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Summary
Eddie James testifies through his lyrics that Jesus is God…the I Am. In addition, James’ lyrics give meaning to that fundamental truth by providing us with biblical examples of what Jesus is for us specifically. This approach is consistent with the purpose of John’s gospel as stated by John in chapter 20.
“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
My prayer is that these “I am” statements will accomplish John’s purpose for us!
Hymns for Him 