Real Hope: Relationship With GodNäide

Hide and Seek

READ GENESIS 3:8–13

When followers of Jesus speak of their God, they are not talking about some old man in the sky, or some distant and detached figure at the far corner of the universe.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has a heart for His world, and for those who inhabit it. He is a God who seeks us out, who longs for companionship with us. Even if we turn our backs on Him, He doesn’t give up on us.

We see this in the story of the Garden of Eden. The first human beings declared their independence from God by deciding to go their own way and not heed His instructions. Chomping on that piece of fruit was their way of saying that they knew best and that God couldn’t tell them what to do.

But God acted in response. The story has God walking in the garden, seeking out His disobedient children. They hid while God sought them. His seeking showed His care for them. He was not dismissive of them; He did not hate them. Yet He did spell out the consequences of their declaration of independence. Things were no longer going to be in perfect harmony. They were not wiped off the face of the earth, but their relationship with this earth and with one another was changed. God had not deserted them but their relationship with Him was spoilt.

The rest of the Bible is the long story of how God sought to put things right again. We pushed Him away; He refuses to stay away.

Written by DAVID REAY