Matthew 16:15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
By the time Lauren Daigle’s phenomenal song, “You Say,” went triple platinum, it became clear a lot of folks were looking for the answer to who God says we are. Are we really loved? Do we truly belong? What happens when we mess up? I believe we can answer those questions with a resounding yes only when we know the answer to an even more profound question:
Who do we say God is?
Do we recognize him as the author of life, strength, beauty, and of every good thing that exists? If he has authority over all he created, then do we believe he is stronger than any enemy we face? Such knowledge should give us the confidence we need to overcome internal foes like insecurity and pride and external threats like pandemics and wars.
Do we believe he is a God of compassion? My goodness, he created compassion! But do we see his love individually directed to every single person on the planet…the poor as well as rich, the newborn as well as the octogenarian, the disenfranchised as well as the privileged? And when he says he works all things together for good to those who love him, do we realize it includes us?
In the last days of Jesus’ ministry on the earth, he asked Peter that most profound of questions. The disciples had just told Jesus who other people thought he was. Now, the question landed directly on Peter’s lap. Who did he, Peter, say Jesus was?
Peter did not realize it at the moment, but his bold response— “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”—determined his own identity as well. Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Peter’s perception of Jesus opened the door to believe what Jesus said about him. He was The Rock.
Jesus still asks each of us, “Who do you say I am?” Our answer could not be more significant. It determines our destiny.
So friend, “What say you?”