Where Are You?

Originally submitted in part as 'Oh Snap!' to faithwriters.com for the challenge topic of Rash in April 2018.

I often think of Eden, longing for the day we are in perfection with our Lord and Savior. God created a paradise to fellowship with His creation. Imagine walking with Him in the cool of the evening, friend to friend, sharing joy and laughter, knowing you are loved and have His full attention. I find myself humming the hymn “Just A Closer Walk with Thee” even now when I think about that one-on-one time with Him.

In Eden, there were no bad days. That quick decision based on lust and pride changed everything, we could no longer live forever tending a garden. Now we have bad hair days, or no hair at all, for that one action placed us in a fallen world, one that decays and ages. Yet, the evening after the great deception, and already knowing what had happened, God seeks fellowship, calling out “Where are you?”

We still have the opportunity a relationship, yet it is in a fallen world. God repaired the broken access when He sent Jesus. Jesus patiently waits for me now, even though I jeered from the crowd, held the nails at the cross, and denied Him as my friend. He still paid the price for my sin and defeated death when He rose on the third day. He is in heaven with our Father and He prepares a place for us. He’s always with us, just as He promised. He’s coming back to take us home.

God’s mercies are new each day but do we take it for granted or celebrate it with Him. It begins with that very first waking thought. What is it? A ‘to do’ list or urgent call for comfort? Sometimes it’s a groan and a snooze for 5 more minutes as I turn over and snuggle deeper under the covers. It might be the jar of an urgent call from a family member or a crying child that starts our day. It could be the persistent meow or bark for a need to release and refill from our pet. Any number of beginnings can keep us from offering our first fruits to the Lord.

We climb on the spinning wheel taking us through the day. More to do than we can get done yet thinking there must be a more efficient way to manage our time. Sun is sinking lower in the sky. Now it’s time to cook dinner, bathe kids, clean the house, mow the lawn, watch a movie, write a song, you name it and it’s waiting. Whether it’s surfing ocean waves or 300 channels of mindless drivel polluting our minds, our tsunami of a day crashes around us as we fall into bed, exhausted and spent. We’ve dodged time with Him all day focusing on ‘things.’ It’s the cool of the evening; He waits for us calling ‘Where are you?’

We may reach for our Bible with the best of intentions to read. As our mind quiets, we fall asleep after a few verses. We haven’t prayed, had devotional/quiet time, praised, or studied with our friend today. Did we yesterday? We promise we will spend time with Him tomorrow. The day starts with that same waking thought and we’re off again. We can break the cycle only if we are purposefully setting time aside to be with Him. Only if we are faithful to Him, can we cultivate the relationship Jesus died to repair.

I look forward to a cool evening, walking with Jesus. I eagerly await sitting at His feet in worship and praise. I ponder discussions with some of my heroes-Joshua, Ruth, Peter, and Luke to name just a few. Great expectations fill my soul with the desire to reunite with family already there; to meet my children; to trade in this decaying body for a new model, to serve alongside saints. I wonder what my room will look like and who will be my neighbors.

Until then, I spend time with Jesus by being in the Word each day, praying incessantly, and singing praise songs. I try not to be RASH - Race Against Schedules Haphazardly or React And Speak Hastily. I pray to He finds me snapped out of the world focus and be about the Lord’s business. I want to be, live, and love RASH - Running All-in Seeking Him, Resting and Singing Hallelujah. I want to respond, ‘Here I am’ when He calls, ‘Where are you?’

Genesis 3:9  Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"  NKJV