Who Am I?

Who Am I?
By Shirley Mitchell

“Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: ‘Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?...Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?...How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you...”
2 Samuel 7:18, 19b, 22a

King David was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He showed his passion for God in the many psalms of praise that he wrote. He showed his love for God when after all the years that he had to run from Saul, David is finally made king and lives in the palace. When David reflects on the fact that he is living in splendor, but the ark of God is in a tent, he decides to build a temple for the ark. The Word of the Lord came to Nathan that night changing their very good plan.

The Lord told Nathan that this bright idea was not His idea. Instead, God moved from place to place with a tent as His dwelling as long as His people were mobile. Then He said to David, “I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.” When David died, God would raise up his son to succeed him, and God would establish His kingdom. This son would build a house for God. Then He promises in verse 16, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.”

Nathan told David this entire revelation. David went in and sat before the Lord. The Hebrew word gives the image of David on his knees, rolling back and forth. He prayed the prayer in today’s Scripture. I imagine he was quite shaken knowing that God had singled him out from the pasture, to be ruler, to know his son would be blessed to build the temple, and to be the head of a dynasty that would endure forever and ever. The first words out of his mouth were, “Who am I?” David was saying, “Why do I deserve this honor, Lord? I had no idea that God would ever relate to man like this. I am amazed.” I think David’s “Who am I?” moment was one of the greatest moments of his life.

One of the greatest experiences of my life was my “Who am I?” moment. The story begins when God orchestrated for my friend Pam and me to meet two women who became two of my best friends at a Cracker Barrel restaurant just south of Cincinnati after the popular Christian teacher Beth Moore’s speaking engagement called Living Proof Live (LPL). One of them, Carla, was going to be the event coordinator for the LPL event the following summer. These women combined with three other women to form the event planning committee. God glued these godly women together. Incredible friendships were formed that have endured the passing of time.

Carla asked me to write a 14-day devotional for the event. I had only written a few devotions for my church’s newsletter at the time. She trusted the Holy Spirit within me. I had to trust God to give me the words. God wrote every word on every page. It was a beautiful masterpiece because it showed how God can take the pen or control the keyboard to make sure His messages get communicated.

On the night of the actual event, the speaker Beth mentioned part of a devotion because she had done it herself. When Beth talked about it and she mentioned the story that I wrote about Sophia, I couldn’t believe she talked about my daughter and me in front of all those people! I just felt like David when he learned that God would bless his son with the honor to build his temple.

There were 18,000 women there who would have loved for Beth to read their devotions and mention them to such a large audience. Out of 18,000 women, He chose me. Nothing of what she said in the next minutes entered my mind. My thoughts were that I should run out of the arena to the preparation rooms in the back, fall on my knees, throw my hands up in the air, and exclaim, “Who am I?” like David did!

I felt like God pressed a soft hand to my head and told my spirit, “No child, you sit right there and listen to every word of this. You’ve prayed to hear my Word taught by Beth for over a year. You’ve led others in what to pray. It is time for you to let my Spirit fall on you. Take the honor I give to you and enjoy it.”

All I could think about was who am I? Who am I? What am I that God would bestow such an honor upon me and my family? God is so loving to deal with me this way! I deserved to be in broken pieces; yet, He put me back together and honored me. I am a sinner and the worst of sinners. My past is so ugly, and my reputation was so soiled.

Yet, in one moment, God showed me His pleasure with me. He bestowed upon me honor. He is incredible! He removes the shame of the repentant. He gives honor to those who have a heart for Him. Those who seek Him are blessed with riches that the world does not know. If you need this, also, Beloved, He can do it for you, too! Give Him everything you have, and He will give you 10-fold, 100-fold back and more. Fall passionately in love with Him and make Him everything in Your life. Then see how God showers you with His love.

Pray with me: Oh, Dear Heavenly Father, only You can bring us far from our destructive nature, remove our sins, and give us an honorable reputation. I ask that every person praying these words will have their “Who Am I” moment when You astound them and knock the breath out of them. May our faithfulness result in our loved ones being blessed by You. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

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