Monday morning, I did my 15-minute HIIT program. All was going swimmingly until…
I squatted to do the frog hops portion and thunk! Something hurt. My back. Ow! I tried to keep going but ended up lying on the floor.
“Not funny, God,” I said to the ceiling. Wasn’t this for old people?!
Because before this, I got a text saying Dad was in the hospital for complications due to Covid. Possible pneumonia and low oxygen levels. He was under observation until further notice. No visitors allowed.
Dad has continued to get a little better then get a little worse. We’re all praying for him. For those who started praying, please continue.
My back was a different story. I called the chiropractor but he was on vacation until November 8, and his replacement was all booked up. Great. I put heat on the sore spot, then ice. I walked a lot as sitting too long was torture. I attended meetings, stretched the spine and tried to concentrate on organization theory or statistics in the downtime.
Meanwhile, it rained every day. Sheets and sheets. This week we got more than 3 inches of rain. I walked on the treadmill, praying and singing. It was the only place I found consistent relief for my back or my heart.
While on the treadmill, I listened to a snippet of a sermon from a well-known preacher. He focused on Exodus 3. Moses came upon the burning bush and God called his name. The pastor talked about Moses asking to know God’s name when told to tell the Israelites about their future departure from Egypt.
God replied to Moses, “I am who I Am. Tell them I AM has sent me to you.” – Exodus 3:14-15
I remember hearing this text as a kid and being flummoxed at the Lord’s poor grammar and smart-alecky attitude. But I AM is not what it seems. It has several meanings, such as “I will be what I will be”, containing all the to be verbs in the Hebrew language: I am, I was, and I will be. In other words, God is omnipresent, past, and future. Self-sufficient, unchanging and eternal, and the source of all being.
I started crying out to the I AM. Because I don’t know about you, but I need the God who is *right now*. Yes, also the future. But the I AM is with Dad and me and everyone who calls on him NOW. The I AM in the scriptures is good, loving, faithful, and everlasting. He wipes every tear from our eyes. He can meet us in our direst situations as comforter, healer, provider. He walks with us in our wilderness and pain. He can deliver us from terrible circumstances, but even if He doesn’t, He never leaves. That’s the great I AM.
Dancing in the Rain 