"Where Are You?"

Genesis 3:8-9 describes the type of relationship that God originally desired to have with man, before it all went awry:

"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day ... the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'"

God was looking to spend some quality time with Adam and Eve. But they were hiding from Him, since they were still wiping the juice from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from their lips. Soon they would be banished from the Garden of Eden and forced to work the very ground from which Adam had been taken. Life wasn't as good as it had been before the fatal bite of fruit. You might even say that one bad apple spoiled the whole bunch.

It's a shame, really, because it served to make things more difficult for the rest of us. But, thankfully, God's grace and Jesus' sacrifice made it all better.

What is important to glean from Genesis 3:8-9 is the type of relationship that God still desires to have with each of us, even after The Fall. God still wants to have a personal relationship with each of us, with you and with me. Quality time. Meaningful conversation. A delightful time together. A relationship based on a mutual love.

That's what God is looking for from you. A relationship that is deep, and not superficial. A meaningful time of prayer and worship with Him, not a quick, 2-minute lip service before you rush out the door in the morning with a ton of other things on your mind.

God is asking every one of us, "Where are you?" He wants to find you and be with you.

Are you seeking Him in return - or are you hiding from Him?

Where are you?