EDEN: 15 - Day Devotional by The Belonging CoSample

A New Eden - Lauren Sloat

Eden is the first place God created to dwell with us on this earth, bursting with life and full of the glory, majesty, beauty and wonder of His creation that would reveal His heart and nature to us. It was designed as not only a meeting place with Him, but also for us to take care of (Genesis 2:15) and find holy purpose within. And yet, not 5 seconds into living in paradise with our loving Creator, we took the bait of the enemy’s lies and disobeyed His instructions for life. And thus began the story of God’s people. But God didn’t have to scurry to find a Plan B, He had already laid one out. Romans 5:15 says “if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” God took our burden of sin as His own and by Jesus’ blood reversed every curse we brought upon ourselves and completely restored perfect communion with our Heavenly Father!

And all along, God was revealing His plans to restore. And His purpose of restoration — to be in unhindered communion with us again. I see echoes of Eden reflected in the still waters and green pastures of Psalm 23’s call to rest. I see Eden in the table where we feast with our King, in His very House. And maybe that’s the place so many of us are missing out on God’s promise of communion with Himself — we’re mentally or emotionally unavailable to God because our minds and hearts are caught up in striving and the sin of self-reliance because we haven’t fully grasped the call to come and rest and let the Lord carry our burdens and provide for all our needs.

It really does blow my mind that the One I call King, Savior, Lord, Father, Counselor, Helper, Healer and Provider wants me to also call Him “Friend.” So often, I have hidden from Him in shame over my own shortcomings and failures. Sometimes repentance simply looks like returning to the Garden of the secret place, where our Creator is waiting “in the cool of the day” with a burning desire to walk with us. That He would want us as friends, that He would seek out communion with us and desire to enjoy our company, is beyond our comprehension and yet it is true. He just wants me, He just wants you.