The story of the evening in the Garden is one which causes our imagination to run wild even as it causes us to hold tightly to divine truths that have been operative since the very beginning. It is a story that speaks of a moment which has become so commonplace that there is expectation on the part of the Lord God as He walks in the Garden and the couple who wait for Him to come. The evening set forth in 8th verse of that third chapter of Genesis brings that relationship to a moment never before experienced.
While it is hard to imagine anyone being able to truly hide from the Lord God, the story does portray the Lord God calling out, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9) Perhaps, the question speaks to the way God does not force us to reveal ourselves to Him unless it is our choice. Of course, He knows us. He knows where we are. He knows why we would choose to hide. All of this is a given, but there is always still the sense that we have to choose to bring ourselves to Him. So, the Lord God called out and the man Adam for the first time responded out of fear instead of eager anticipation.
Often it seems that the fear we bring to some encounters with God speaks not of our fear of being cast aside forever by Him, but of our fear of what it means for us to be honest about ourselves with another even if the Other is God Himself. One of our greatest fears is the fear of being real, the fear of owning up to ourselves about the things which have owned our heart and, perhaps, still own it. Could it not be that our fear of looking into the mirror that shows us our heart and the real impulses and desires which dwell there causes more fear than holding on to them while we are in the presence of an Almighty God who has proven Himself to be merciful and forgiving time and time again?
While it is hard to imagine anyone being able to truly hide from the Lord God, the story does portray the Lord God calling out, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9) Perhaps, the question speaks to the way God does not force us to reveal ourselves to Him unless it is our choice. Of course, He knows us. He knows where we are. He knows why we would choose to hide. All of this is a given, but there is always still the sense that we have to choose to bring ourselves to Him. So, the Lord God called out and the man Adam for the first time responded out of fear instead of eager anticipation.
Often it seems that the fear we bring to some encounters with God speaks not of our fear of being cast aside forever by Him, but of our fear of what it means for us to be honest about ourselves with another even if the Other is God Himself. One of our greatest fears is the fear of being real, the fear of owning up to ourselves about the things which have owned our heart and, perhaps, still own it. Could it not be that our fear of looking into the mirror that shows us our heart and the real impulses and desires which dwell there causes more fear than holding on to them while we are in the presence of an Almighty God who has proven Himself to be merciful and forgiving time and time again?
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