“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,” (Genesis 3:8a NIV)
We are talking marriage in church this month, so I’ve been sitting in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve all week. And as I was preparing for our service this morning I thought about what worship would have looked like in that garden long ago. I think we get a glimpse of it here, in Genesis 3.
I smile over the thought of the God of the universe enjoying an #eveningwalk with His kids. My facebook friends know how much I enjoy an after-dinner stroll. And it occurs to me the last golden hour of the day is the perfect opportunity for worship.
The text reads as though this evening walk was normative. The day cooled and Adam and Eve walked with God, enjoying right relationship with Him. They shared the view and their hearts on a regular, daily basis. If we finish the text, though, we realize that this particular walk was a post-fall expedition and because of their sin, Adam and Eve didn’t respond in the usual way.
“…and they hid from God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8b NIV)
Friend, worship is an opportunity to walk with God, to get close to Him and share hearts. It’s meant to be beautiful and life-giving: we exchange our trust for His peace. And just like the original couple, we have a choice. We can show up and participate or we can run off and hide.
Let me encourage you: it is so good to come out of hiding and engage in the authentic connection with the living God. You will find that there is grace enough for all your failures and love enough to restore right relationship.
Lord, thank You for loving us enough to keep walking with us. We repent of hiding and step out to meet You. We want to share our hearts and enjoy the view with You. Amen.
Enjoy this song about coming out of hiding. <3 https://youtu.be/XFkDqQtfs0w