Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9)

          The very first question we find in the Old Testament is significant.  It is found in Genesis 3:9, where God called to the man He created, “Where are you?”  “I hid,” Adam replied, somewhere out of sight, “because I was afraid.”
          Never before in his association with his loving Creator had Adam been afraid, so why now?  Simple, but tragic, answer: for the first time in his life, Adam had disobeyed God.  He knew that to eat the forbidden fruit was wrong, but he did not know the consequences.
          Adam and Eve’s idyllic life was to drastically change, for they were exiled from their beautiful home – the Garden of Eden.  Furthermore, their roles in life were to change.  Adam would henceforth have to work hard for his living in a world of weeds and thistles.  Moreover, his once-perfect relationship with the beautiful woman God created for him would be damaged.  Eve would no longer be his perfect wife.  She would no longer be Adam’s equal; he was to rule over her now.  She was to be submissive to his desires and wishes, and she would “bear children in pain,” whatever that meant.  Eve would soon know what that meant, when her first baby, Cain, was born.  Then she had her second son, Abel.
          Consequences of sin can roll on and on, and once again, as Cain and Abel grew into manhood, Adam and Even had to be aware of their sons’ times of conflict.  Eventually, as the Scripture tells us (Genesis 4:8), out of jealousy Cain killed his brother.  What a tragedy!  What heartache!  That their beloved firstborn would murder his own brother, dearly loved also.
          Did Adam and Eve ever think back to their wonderful, peaceful life in Eden?  Did they ever discuss the enduring consequences of their sin of disobedience?  Did they ever confess their sin to God and receive His gracious forgiveness?  I believe they did.  Nevertheless, the sin of disobedience always has repercussions, if not immediately, it will in time.
          Has God ever called you, “______, where are you?”  Would you hide from Him because of fear of Him?  Because of knowing you had sinned against His moral law?  Or because you simply do not know Who He is, but instinctively you are afraid?
          Or are you one who can be certain that your future lies in His hands?  That as a child of His you have assurance that one day you will be transported into His presence and spend eternity with Him?
          It is a thought blessed beyond words to be able to answer His question, “Where are you?” with a confident, “Here I am, Lord.”

“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
and it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
and be closer drawn to Thee.”  (Fanny Crosby)

Midge RuthWriter for “Real Victory for Real Life” 365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick
VOLUME 2
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