Where Are You?
Image by Paulos, Pixabay
Here’s the second devotion in my work-in-progress that explores questions posed by or to God in Scripture. Satan asks the first question in the Bible, ‘Did God really say?…’which we looked at in February. God has the second question – ‘Where Are You?’ In these 2 questions at the dawn of mankind, we have a summary of the cosmic battle: Satan sows doubt, seeking to draw us away from God; God comes to find us, calling us back to himself.
As our story opens in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve have succumbed to temptation and tasted the fruit of disobedience. They realised they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Shame has entered the world, distorting their beautiful intimacy. By the way, the forbidden fruit wasn’t sex - the first thing God says to Adam and Eve is ‘Be fruitful and increase in number.’ He invented sex! Here’s the next part of the story.
“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” Genesis 3: 8 - 10
The first sin has destroyed mankind’s innocent, fearless union with God. The Lord comes to enjoy fellowship with Adam and Eve and he finds them missing. He is God; He knows, of course, where they are and what they have done. But He calls out, “Where are you?” He lets them know He is seeking them and that He wants them to come to Him.
Here is our first glimpse of God, the Good Shepherd, seeking His lost sheep. This question, ‘Where are you?’ sums up the entire story of Scripture, which culminates in the Good Shepherd giving up His life to rescue His lost sheep from the kingdom of darkness and bring them back to the kingdom of light, his sheepfold.
Many people imagine that religion is the story of mankind’s search for God, but the Christian faith is the story of God’s search for us. He is the initiator. He is the one longing to restore our fractured relationship with Him. His constant call is ‘Where are you?’
What’s your response to the divine ‘Where are you? Are you close by, walking in fellowship with Him? Or are you hiding – conscious perhaps of some shame? Is the voice of the serpent whispering in your ear, ‘Did God really say?...’ causing you to doubt whether God truly has your best interests at heart? Or perhaps you’re ‘following at a distance’ like Peter after Jesus’ arrest, hanging back, hedging your bets between God’s way and the world’s way. Alternatively, you may be going through dark times when you long to feel God’s presence and it eludes you. At such times, we’re called to walk by faith and not by sight, which can be tough.
God is the Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for you, to bring you back to Himself. He is seeking you and he won’t give up. Today He walks in the garden of your life, with the breeze blowing, and he calls out, ‘Where are you?’
Journal Questions:
1. Adam and Eve were hiding among the trees. Are you, am I, hiding behind anything that creates a barrier between us and God – perhaps even our doubts and questions?
2. Adam does emerge and tell God the truth. That’s all God asks. He has done the rest to fix our broken relationship. Can you tell God the truth about where you are with Him today?
