The ultimate and proud self-centeredness is seen when sinful humans usurp God’s name and position to themselves.  Remember how God revealed His true identity to Israel, introducing himself as the “I AM.”  Understanding this helps us see why God’s wrath blazes when humans act as if they, not God, are the center of things.

See what is behind such expressions as:

“How can God let this happen? — It’s just not right!”

Thunder is in our God’s response:

“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.
I will never be a widow
    or suffer the loss of children.”  Isaiah 47:8

In your life, who is the great “I AM”?

When attempting to give helpful counsel to one who is disoriented with such deep pride, it is urgent that we fully understand the seriousness of casting aside God’s will and replacing it with our own.  Two kinds of people do this.

First, those who in defiance openly resist God and seat themselves in His place or,

Second, those whose mild passivity hides their underlying self-centeredness.

The net result of each of these is the same.  God is not obeyed.  In either case, God is rejected.  There is instead, a rebellious resistance to his will.  Have a strong, definite prayer with the troubled person.  Then use a selected Scripture; for example, John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”  Ask, “Will you now, as one of the Lord’s own flock, follow His voice, rather than your own choosing?”

God alone is the great I AM.