The Lord called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” – Genesis 3:9
When you were a child, did you ever try to run away or hide from your parents because you knew you were going to be in trouble for something you had done? You may have felt guilty, ashamed, afraid, or embarrassed, and the last thing you wanted to do was face parents who were disappointed or upset with your wrong choice. Adam and Eve did something similar with God.
In Genesis 3:9, Adam and Eve had just disobeyed God by eating fruit from the tree He said not to. They knew the Lord was coming to spend time with them but, rather than face Him, they hid. God, already knowing what had happened, approached them with gentleness rather than anger. He called out to them, “Where are you?” His question was not an interrogation. He was not belittling them or making them feel worse about their sin. God was trying to open the lines of communication with His beloved in a way that would unveil the truth.
God longs for relationship with His people. He will meet you wherever you are. And He is patient, loving, and personal – ready to gently show you, and lead you into, the truth. Spend some time talking with God today. Share with Him what is on your heart. Pray for the country as it faces division and conflict within. The Lord is waiting to hear from you.
Today’s Verse: Genesis 3:9
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Genesis 3:1-13
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 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. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
