I Pretend Nothing With YouSýnishorn

Where are you?

I have two younger sisters and my middle sister, Callie, lives in Colorado. She told me a strange and hilarious story recently that started when she mailed a bunch of boxes that were accidentally delivered to the wrong address. Thankfully, the lady who received them lived close by and called my sister to tell her that she could come by and pick them up. She said she would leave the boxes on her front porch.

When my sister arrived at the woman’s house, she rang the doorbell so she could thank her for calling and let her know that she had picked up her packages, but no one answered. The front door had a large window on the top of the door, and Callie could see a lady sitting inside on her couch. She tried to wave at her, but the woman froze, sank back into her sofa, and pulled the blanket she was holding over her head! She was trying to hide in plain sight, but my sister could see her perfectly. 

This story gives us a perfect illustration of our relationship with God. He already sees us and already knows us because He created us. We can attempt to hide from Him, but He’s right there looking in the window, knocking on the door, and waiting until we let Him into our lives. 

Let’s take a look at the familiar story of Adam and Eve in Genesis. They shared perfect intimacy with God and with each other before sin entered the world. God instructed Adam in Genesis 2:16 that he was free to eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden, but he must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because if he did, he would certainly die. 

Then God told Adam that it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so He made him a helper named Eve. Verse 24 tells us that when a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, they become one flesh. They become one and share in the fullness of complete intimacy. 

God set up boundaries within the garden to protect Adam and Eve because He loved them and wanted what was best for them. He does this with us today through His Word. 

Now the serpent, who is Satan, was craftier than all the other animals. He challenged God’s boundary and used lies to sugarcoat sin. He made Adam and Eve question God’s word. In Genesis 3:1, the serpent asks Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 

God asks questions throughout the Bible. During His ministry on earth, Jesus often taught in questions, too. He did this to draw us into a conversation and lead us to greater self-awareness. He’s God and He already knows the answers, but He wants us to come to know the answers, too. 

It’s important to note, however, that Satan asks us questions, too. Satan’s questions will always lead us to doubt God. When Adam and Eve were deceived and violated the clear boundary God had set, shame and sin entered the world. Their perfect fellowship with God and with each other was broken. By eating the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened to an unhealthy view of the world and each other. God’s instruction was meant to protect them and prevent this from happening, but Satan’s question tempted them into sinning.

In verse 8, we see that Adam and Eve heard the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Him among the garden’s trees. How often do we hide from God after we sin? 

Hiding can take on many forms. We can hide by not praying or communicating with God, or we can hide by not going to church and avoiding community and fellowship. We can hide from certain friends, afraid that they’ll call us out, hold us accountable, or reject us. We tell ourselves that after what we’ve done, we’re too bad for God to hear our prayers and that no one would ever be our friend if they knew the sins we’ve committed. 

We often hide behind humor, sarcasm, or social media. We create false worlds that are far from our reality. These forms of hiding are often known as self-preservation. We isolate and hide who we really are because we’re afraid of getting hurt. 

The truth is, though, that we’re only hurting ourselves. We need God, we need His community, and we need people. I know I’m guilty of separating from God and pulling back when I’ve fallen short. I’ve been afraid of being found out or rejected, and that’s exactly where Adam and Eve found themselves. They were ashamed and terrified, so they hid from God in the bushes. They just couldn’t face Him. 

I love how God responds to their actions. We read in verse 9 that the Lord God called out to them, “Where are you?” He pursued them with a question. He is God, so He already knew where they were and what they had done. He even understood why they were hiding. But because He’s a merciful, forgiving, relational God, He pursued them without condemnation. He went after them and asked a question to get them talking to Him again. 

Adam and Eve were hiding and God was looking for them, because He didn’t want a broken relationship with them. He didn’t want them to hide. He wanted to forgive them and get them back to Him. He loved them, just as He loves you. His goal is always restoration. Remember that we’re always safe with God!

In verse 10, Adam answers God by saying that he heard Him in the garden, but was afraid because he was naked, so he hid. Adam was pretending a little. He gave God part of the truth, but not the whole truth. Yes, he realized that he was naked, but that’s not the only reason he hid. He hid because he felt shame. He hid because he knew that he had disobeyed God’s one rule and he felt regret. 

Let’s personalize this story and apply it to us today. Where are you spiritually? Are you hiding from God like Adam and Eve or the lady under the blanket? Are you telling Him only part of the truth? Are you running from Him and trying to self-protect? 

Remember, you don’t have to pretend with God. He already knows. Let God ask you, “Where are you?” today and remind you that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, He’s in a relentless pursuit of you. He sees you and He wants to come in and have a conversation with you. 

God is knocking on the door of your heart. Don’t hide. Be found by Him today. He already sees you.