Adam and Eve

The newness of their altered relationship is stark. Fear has come upon them and they hide. The profound change is lovingly articulated by the Father when He says, “Adam Where are you?” Or as recorded in Genesis (NKJV) "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the Garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

They are confronted by a changed relationship even before the LORD states the nature of the change. Death has entered the world, and spiritually Death is separation. In its simplest form separation is personified by the act of hiding undertaken by Adam and his wife. Sin is in a way hiding, even running away from God – it is separation from God – and to be separated from God is Death. The spiritual life is reconnecting to God. However, the journey to reconnect with the LORD is not begun by us. It is begun by God. “Where are you?” He says.

For us who somehow have allowed the voice of God to break into our consciousness, we realize that for so very long God has been looking for us. And now He desires that we allow Him to find us. In Galatians Paul says, “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God.” Or rather are KNOWN by God. Imagine, the depth of mystery to realize that the great joy of faith is not the common cry that we know God, but that God knows us. KNOWS us!! Here is total openness to the heavenly One. Here is complete surrender, and complete restoration of The Walk in the Garden: naked and exposed and yet not ashamed.

So to worship begins with the words of openness to allow God to find us.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Quest of life is to journey on the path that in one sense acknowledges that the LORD has found us, and yet we wish to be “More found,” shall we say. As seekers of Christ, our first priority is to allow ourselves to be found by God. We cannot show anybody the Way to be found by God if we have not “travelled” (Shall we say) the road to coming out from the trees.

So what is it that we are hiding from God? What trees are we hiding behind? Are we hearing the voice of the loving, compassionate, gentle God saying to us, “Come out here. Don’t be afraid. Tell me what has happened.” And when we are able to understand what has happened in our lives, the brokenness we have experienced, the tragedy of our hiding, and that this tragedy of hiding is part and parcel to everybody’s life, we’ll be better able help others be discovered by the LORD God.

LORD have mercy, Brian+