Scripture
Genesis 3:8-9 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Devotion
Dear friend, when you mess up and do something wrong, what’s your go-to response? Fight, flight, or freeze?
I’m definitely someone who takes flight. When I know that I have done something wrong, I am quick to run away, cover it up, and hope no one notices. I do this in the hopes of also being able to forget what I have done… Sigh.
I’m not proud of this and I know how detrimental it is. However, I know that this is an instinctive reaction that comes from FEAR.
I hide away because of fear. I fear what will happen to me if my sin comes out into the light. I fear being rejected. I fear being scolded. I fear being shamed. I fear, I fear, I fear.
Doesn’t this sound very familiar?
Yes… it is exactly what Adam and Eve did too.
When they sinned against God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they ‘hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God’.
They knew that they had done wrong. They knew that they had disobeyed God. They felt fear, shame, and guilt.
And so they hid…
As every human being since then has too.
Perhaps they feared that God would react to them just as I fear how people will react to me: rejection, scolding, and shaming.
But, how does God react to them?
‘But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”’
When man hid, God PURSUED.
Yes, after this came punishment for Adam and Eve’s disobedience, and they no longer had this special relationship with God. But God firstly pursued connection with them. He sought them out, even in their sin. He asked them to reveal themselves to Him.
Dearest friend, when we sin, it’s natural for us to hide from God. It’s normal for us to want to run away, to argue, to clam up, to separate ourselves from God.
But the truth is that we cannot hide anything from God – and we don’t need to.
We do not have a God who ignores us, who pushes us away, or who shames us when we sin.
We have a God who pursues us, who asks, “Hey beloved, where are you? Would you reveal yourself to me? Would you reveal your sin to me?”
This God is safe. He is a safe Person for us to confess everything to. And this is all because of Jesus. When Jesus died for our sins, He made a way for us to be completely forgiven by our Father in heaven.
Now, ‘nothing can separate us from the love of God’ (Romans 8:38).
This does not give us a license to sin, but it does mean that we will always receive forgiveness when we come out of hiding and confess our mess to the Lord.
Dear friend, if there is sin or mess in your life today, may I encourage you to come out of hiding and fall into the Father’s embrace today?
If you need prayer, we’re here on the app to pray for you. God bless you.
Reflection Questions
When you sin or mess up, and you feel tempted to hide, what can you do to overcome that temptation and run to the Father instead?
I can remember that in Jesus Christ I am completely forgiven.
I can actively confess my sin to God and ask for forgiveness.
I can remind myself that I am safe and loved by God.
OTHER
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your kindness and compassion – that, even when I sin, You pursue a connection with me. Father, it is me who creates the separation and division between us. You do not want us to be separated – indeed, nothing can separate me from Your love!
And so I pray, forgive me for all my sins. Forgive me, Father, for the times when I hide, cover-up, and become afraid of how You will respond. Perfect Love, I pray that You cast out all fear right now.
I come boldly to Your throne of grace today. When You call to me, “Where are you?”, I will respond, “Father, here I am. Here I am.”
I love You, Lord.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Pointers
Pray for salvation today. Pray that those around you would come to know the Father’s incredible love and Jesus’ magnificent sacrifice on the cross.
