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DAY 18 Daniel Fast Devotional - Who Do You Say That I Am? When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  —Matthew 16:13-15 The passage above is a familiar one. Simon Bar-Jonah’s response to the question garnered him his new name from Jesus: Peter, which means rock. As I read that passage today, the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask this same question of you and of me: “Who do you say that I am?” This isn’t a question for our minds or our intellects or even our traditional beliefs. Today this question is directed to our hearts: “Who do you say that I am?” Is Jesus a far-off  figure that is part of our religious tradition? The one we celebrate on Christmas and Easter? Is He the painting on the Sunday school classroom wall? Or is He the Savior we read about in the Bible and look forward to meeting one day? Today He is asking us, “Who do you say that I am?” For many years, Jesus was a far-off figure for me. I knew a lot about Him. I even taught many others about Him. I wrote inspirational pieces about Him. And I said many prayers to Him. But it wasn’t until I got desperate for Jesus to be more in my life that I actually started knowing Him. This knowing didn’t come overnight. Instead, there was a period of deep and steadfast seeking that put my spirit in closer communion with His. Jesus wasn’t hiding from me. Instead, I didn’t know how to find Him in the intimate way that He wanted to befriend me. Even now, I am not as “tight” with Him as I know I can be, but every day I draw closer and closer. What I know to be true is what the Scripture teaches us in James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Until we make the decision to get to know our Lord by setting aside the time and quieting ourselves on a consistent basis, the relationship we want won’t happen. That’s why the question, “Who do you say that I am?” is so poignant. Is Jesus a priority in our lives, or do we wait until we have time? Is He a person with whom we can have an intimate and caring relationship? Or is He someone who lived a long time ago and we will wait to see Him in heaven? Over the past several years, my relationship with Christ has grown from an ethereal concept to a deep and abiding relationship. He is who I go to for all my needs. He’s the first one I greet in the morning and the one I talk to throughout the day. Many times He talks to me, and I can hear His voice and know what He’s saying, since I’ve developed the “ears to hear.” I am so grateful that I have moved from knowing about Jesus to really knowing Him. I hope you will take the opportunity over the next several days to answer the question Jesus asks you: “Who do you say that I am?”