Origins: The Beginning (Genesis 1–11)Sample

By Danny Saavedra

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” Genesis 3:8–9 (NLT)

Shame. Remorse. Fear. We’ve all felt these things at one time or another. But try to imagine a world where you never once felt these things. Imagine a world where you didn’t know what shame was, where you never once experienced crippling remorse over your actions. And now, imagine going from never having experienced these complex feelings to feeling them in full force all at once—like a massive tidal wave swallowing you up.

This is the scene playing out before our very eyes in Genesis 3. At this point, Adam and Eve disobeyed God. All of sudden, these two who were, before this moment, free, secure, and whole, were now ashamed, uncomfortable, insecure, guilt-ridden, fearful, and enslaved. 

It’s amazing how quickly insecurity took hold of them. It was instant! They took a bite and then they hid their bodies. That’s the thing about sin, it makes big promises but leaves us broken; you think it’ll bring fulfillment and satisfaction but instead it brings you fear and shame.

So, when they heard the Lord approaching, they did what we still do today, they tried to hide from Him. They cowered because they didn’t want Him to see them for what they’d become. They couldn’t bear to be bare before their Maker. It’s ironic; the fruit was supposed to open their eyes, but it actually made them more blind. And what did God, who already knew what had taken place, say? “Where are you?”

Reading that gets me every single time, and it reminds me of my own life. Knowing where they were, knowing what they had done, God calls out to them. He pursued them. The Cambridge Bible commentary put it this way: “The Lord does not abandon, He seeks the guilty.”

My friends, don’t miss this! God always knows where you are, both physically and spiritually. He always knows the condition of your heart. When He calls out to you and asks, “Where are you?” it’s not because He can’t find you, it’s because He wants you to follow the sounds of His voice and find Him. He is extending Himself to you in your moment of shame and guilt. He’s inviting you to a place of nakedness and confession before He clothes you with His mercy. These words are more for us to examine why we’ve hidden ourselves from the only One who can restore us to right standing, freedom, and wholeness. 

How will you answer when you hear God say, “Where are you?”

DIG: Have you ever felt the need to hide yourself from God? To avoid Him for fear of Him seeing what you’d done or who you were becoming?

DISCOVER: Have you ever felt the Lord calling out, “Where are you?” What did you do in that moment? How did you respond?

DO: Today, examine where you are. Is there any area of your life where you’re hiding from the Lord? He wants to extend His mercy over that area. Bare your soul before Him, confess, and receive His grace!