GOD IS LOOKING FOR YOU
Susan Murray
Today's Scripture: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’” Genesis 3:8-10, ESV
Theme: The first step to repentance and restoration is to acknowledge your sin and your need for a Savior.
SHALOM
Adam and Eve had enjoyed walking with God every day. Life was good. In fact, life could not be better. Everything they needed was provided for them. Working in the garden was not hard. They felt the love of God. They were fully naked, vulnerable, with open hearts that knew no fear and were at rest - Shalom.
UNTIL
It all changed after they willfully rebelled, disobeying the one rule God had given them. It wasn’t really about the rule. It was about choosing to love God back, freely. Free will means there is a choice; otherwise, it’s not free will. Love is not love without free will.
Their guilt introduced them to the never-before-experienced feelings of shame and fear. God had warned them that they would surely die if they disobeyed, so no wonder they hid. They were rightly fearful of God and no longer felt able to live in freedom. The same is true for me and you.
SHAME
I feel shame, too, when I have failed or even just felt like a failure for no good reason. I do not like that feeling, so I try to hide just like Adam and Eve. I hide behind something I have done right. I hide behind excuses or blame-shifting. I can judge or think negatively of others. As a people pleaser, I try to do things the way others would approve of so I can avoid shame. I hide a lot of things in a lot of ways. I do not like being exposed. Hiding feels safe, but it also feels lonely. Hiding this way has never resolved my sense of shame. I need a different place to hide.
FOUND
It is interesting that God already knew (being all-knowing) where and why Adam and Eve were hiding. So why did He ask questions instead of just pronouncing judgment on them? I once heard a preacher teach that God asked questions, approaching them not with His authority, but with loving curiosity for their benefit. He was their Counselor, not their Judge. It came from His compassion, for He loved them despite their sin. HIs invitation brought them out and they confessed their failure, although still tainted with blame shifting. Yet God showed mercy.
Death did enter the world that day just as God had warned them. But Adam and Eve were spared, at least for the time being. An animal was sacrificed instead, whose fur was used to provide the first clothing, giving some relief to their shame. He also gave them a promise of a future Redeemer who would ultimately win the fight against good and evil (Genesis 3:15b).
BETTER HIDNG PLACE
God always makes the first move, as He did with Adam and Eve. Since God is the same yesterday, today, and always (Malachi 3:6), He is looking for us, just like he looked for Adam and Eve. God is still an inviting and seeking us; and He did fulfill his promise of a Redeemer. “Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden of Gethsemane” (Dr Timothy Keller). He is now our ultimate covering and hiding place.
Now when I feel guilt and shame, I run to Jesus. It may take me a while, but God in His love continues to call me out, exposing my sin, my pride, and self-sufficiency so He can then cover them with the grace.
Make it personal: Maybe you can identify with this story and the feelings involved. My husband and I were walking up and down the old city streets in a small southern Italian town. We had to park in the “new” part of town and walk down these winding, intersecting stone streets to find a small remote hotel in “old town.” Despite using Google maps with a dying phone battery, we ended up walking up and down the same streets several times, pulling our suitcases around all the tourists. I slowly became angry, and it was directed mostly at my husband, who out of grace was gentle toward me. I was impatient, blaming him, myself, poor signage, a dying phone, and the hotel owner as all being at fault for making my life difficult for more than an hour. (By the way, we found no one spoke English). Eventually we made it, and the comfortable hotel room overrode my anger. I apologized to my husband. It wasn’t until weeks later, as I thought more about it, that I realized something. I had unnamed shame as I feared others who saw us walking up and down the same streets must have thought we were fools. I confessed to my husband and to God. I had hidden my shame behind my anger to the point that I initially didn’t see it. God was good, as He was using difficulty in my life to invite me to trust in Jesus instead of my performance so I could have a taste of the shalom that was lost in the garden.
Where are you hiding? Do you even know you are hiding? God is looking for you and He will use your emotions to expose where you are hiding and invite you to repentance and rest. Give into the invitation, although you naturally resist it out of pride, clinging to other hiding places. He is patiently looking for you.
Prayer: Father, You are always good and merciful. I praise Your Name for Your never-ending mercy. You never abandon Your own; we are Yours because of Jesus. Help us to confess our failures, recognize our shame, and hide in Jesus. There we will find freedom to live in the grace we have, now in part and fully when we are with You in eternity. Give us a taste of shalom until we see You face to face, without a hint of fear or shame. Amen
Read: Isaiah 9:6, 30:15,18; Matthew 23:37; Psalms 25:1-7, 71:1-3
Weekly Memory Verse:
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,