But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9
When you sin do you try to hide from God? Does the guilt and shame that the enemy heaps onto your soul drive you into hiding? Is God now still trying to get your attention? Have you fallen into sin that you won’t admit to … yourself? How far would God allow you to fall so that you would turn back to Him?
So this question is revealing that God isn’t immediately being a ‘judge’ but a ‘father’ calling His children back into relationship. A simple gentle question. A loving question.
Do you really think you can hide from God? Do you think God doesn’t see and know your sin the moment you do it? Then why is our first reaction to hide? Who are we actually hiding from? Ourselves? Are we disgusted with ourselves, the sin, or the consequences? Why does sin make us afraid? Maybe because sin causes separation and loneliness from our created purpose and being. Sin puts us out of alignment.
God who created us IN LOVE, longs to restore that loving relationship with you – when you are out of alignment. God is maligned by His enemies as being mean, unjust, and just waiting to judge you. The very first question God brings to Adam after the first sin – is ‘Where are you?”, does that sound like someone who wants to punish? Especially like all good parents who know fully well what their child has done and is now hiding from them. The parent knows the sin, and knows exactly where the child is hiding, then why the question? Love. Does God seek to punish us? No. He seeks us to be brought back together into loving relationship. God wants us to see for ourselves what the sin has done to us and our surrounding relationships. Free will and choice are there because of His love for us. Without free will we would just be unable to love Him in relationship.
My heart as a father is to earnestly pray for my children to be in deeper relationship with God. I want them to know His Presence, and walk with Him. I always want to protect them. Where do you think I received that instinct? Why is it there? How much do I long for their relationship? Is my longing less than my heavenly Father’s?
How far would I let my child fall so that they would finally realize what sin is doing to them? It’s an agonizing question and situation for a parent. How far will God let you fall so that you will finally turn back to Him. How important is your soul and spirit to God?
Jesus hints at this question when He said…
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
This world scoffs at this. The worldly ‘intellectual’ doesn’t believe in the soul or spirit of a human being. Yet Jesus… again bringing the truth… the somehow worldly-wise scoff at. Yet we know our enemies are not “flesh and blood”, but are entirely driven by something else. (Ephesians 6:12) Those enemies want us to be ‘in hiding’ from God. Which of course is a lie. What lies has the enemy gotten you to believe? Which lies are you still hanging on to?
God wants us to come back to Him. Remember the example of the prodigal son that Jesus gave us in His parable? (Luke 15:11-32)
God is calling us back into loving relationship with Him. Can you see the barriers you allowed to be built around you (or you built yourself), all in your effort to hide from God?
Where are you hiding …currently from God?
Forgiveness. Mercy. His open arms are waiting for you. (1 John 1:9)