When God called to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" he obviously knew where they were - I mean he's God after all. It was a rhetorical question meant to give them an opportunity to be repentant. But what does Adam do? Well, he doesn't own up. He doesn't admit his sin. Rather he gives an excuse. Plays the first of many a blame game. A game I know how to play all too well.
But in all His relationships, God reaches for man.
Reaches for you who have fallen and scraped your heart raw, for you who fell the shame of words that have snaked off your tongue and poisoned corners of your life, for you who keep trying to cover up pain with perfectionism.
Three words come through the dense thicket of failure: Where are you? (23)
Here's my call to repentance too. The life of a Christian is NOT a fluffy, free ride. The life of a Christian is one of repentance and forgiveness. We see our need - our need for a Saviour. We are lost and need to be found.
Your God looks for you when you're feeling lost, and your God seeks you out when you're down, and your God call for you when you feel cast aside. He doesn't run down the rebel. He doesn't strike down the sinner. He doesn't flog the failure. (23)
Jesus, our Gift, has been run down, struck down and flogged - for mankind. We rightly deserved it all and more. But in his love and mercy he took our place! A gift, through faith. (Eph 2:8) Thank you, Jesus!
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He's already there with you:) Sing it loud!
Question #2 - Loved. It's often trials and difficulties that bring me back and that remind me of my complete dependancy for him and his grace.
2 comments:
Page 22-I really like the analogy of Bethlehem as the house of Bread as it relates to her statement of "...we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other...The only thing that will satisfy our hunger for more is to hunger for the One who comes down to Bethlehem, house of Bread, the One who comes after us and offers Himself as Bread for our starved souls." And, too, the truth that Jesus calls Himself the Bread of Life. Susanne
P. 23: "Your God refuses to give up on you." I have seen the truth of this in my life. He is so gentle with me, even though "I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you." -Psalm 73:22 From this Psalm one can see that Asaph also experienced God refusing to give up on him. When the realization hits me of how God lovingly chases after my messed-up self... I'm speechless. My heart overflows with a kind of gratitude and security I've never felt at any other time. It leads me to rest in his love and to trust him in every situation - because he's holding on tight to me.
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