Hide and Seek

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).

It would be very unusual that you have not played the game of “hide and seek” at some time in your life. While it was not born out of a game, this was the first reaction of Adam and Eve after their sin. Our reading shows us this clearly. In fact, here we have the first question God asks in the Bible. At first look, it may seem a bit strange. We might think God would ask, “What have you done?” since Adam had disobeyed God’s instruction not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. But the question God asks is “Where are you?” Of course, God knows exactly where Adam and Eve are. God’s question makes clear to us that we cannot hide from him (cf. Psalm 139:7-12), that we belong in his presence, that he made us to walk with him. But the guilt of our sin pushes us to try to hide. We try to cover up or run away, not wanting to face up to what we’ve done. And, that is certainly not a game. This season of Lent gives us an excellent opportunity to focus on the “where” of God’s question. Where are we in our journey with God. The Bible uses the word “way” for the first time in Genesis 3:24, saying that the “way” back to the garden was blocked by an angel with a sword. But God loved the world so much that he provided the way back to him, and to full life again, through Jesus Christ, who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (cf. John 14:1-6). Walking with the Lord means constantly answering the question “Where are you?” and emerging from our hiding places that we may see ourselves in the light of God’s grace. We are so often reactionary. In our reaction to circumstances and others along our journey it is easy to fall into the “flight or fight” of our human nature. Our first response to anything that may seem painful or challenging is to run away (flight). Even in our closest relationships we rarely find the courage and wisdom to face the challenges of life. So we run, trying to hide. Ultimately, we are either found, or forced to respond differently. Avoidance cannot be maintained. We then turn to an aggressive response (fight). That never turns out well (cf. Proverbs 15:1-4). My encouragement to you is to examine where you are at this point in your life. There is no need to hide from God, even if you could. He desires to join you in your journey, helping you to bear the burden in your life!