Walking with God in the Cool of the Day
Walking with God in the Cool of the Day
“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” (Gen. 3:8). Imagine Adam and Eve hearing the sound of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day before this day. Before sin entered the world, before hearts were hardened or guilt took hold, Adam and Eve walked with God. They heard Him and excitedly waited to see Him. They didn’t hide; they had no reason to. They knew Him. They didn’t hide. That’s the kind of closeness our Creator intended from the beginning.
God created them for His pleasure, and I would imagine He took great pleasure in the closeness of that perfect relationship. We are not told how long it was before things changed, but our selection today tells us it did. Their actions caused sin to enter their hearts and minds, and shame followed. No longer was there anticipation and excitement to be in the presence of their Creator; now there was just guilt and shame. This time, they did not run to meet him; instead, they hid.
Now, at this point, the story takes a strange turn. God knew they had sinned. God knows everything: "And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Heb. 4:13). Clearly, nothing is hidden from His sight, and yet, Gen. 3:8 shows that He came anyway. Even knowing they had disobeyed His explicit command. Even knowing the chaos that was introduced into His perfect creation, He came anyway. So, when “The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’" it wasn’t that He did not know where they were, but rather to make them take responsibility for their actions.
When we read that passage, we quickly realize that it also applies to us today. When we are first baptized, we commit to walking closely with God and to being faithful and obedient to Him. But, like Adam and Eve, there comes a day when we fall from grace, so to speak. We take a bite of the forbidden fruit of sinful desires, and suddenly we want to hide from His presence, overcome by guilt and shame. We are not awakened to sin as if it were the first time we became aware of it because most of us already lived in that world before our baptism, but the principle remains. We try and hide, but to no avail.
But here is the beauty of God’s ever-gracious and merciful nature. He still seeks. He still calls out to us. He wants us to take responsibility for our actions and repent. And through His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, God has made a way back possible. Moreover, He is patient: “… but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2Pe. 3:9). What we come to realize as seasoned Christians God will call for us many times in our life, always willing to take us back into His loving arms thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus.
Praise God that His blood has cleansed us from all unrighteousness, and praise God that His mercy extends beyond a single or even multiple failures. Praise God that He does not demand perfection but encourages humble obedience. We would do well to meditate on the words of 1Jo. 1:7, where we are reminded: “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” That’s how we stay in step with Him: by walking in the light, not in perfection, but in honesty and faith.
A meaningful goal of walking with God is found in the story of Enoch, one of the most mysterious and inspiring figures in Scripture. Gen. 5:24 states, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” That’s a life goal if there ever was one. Walking so closely with God that when it’s time to go, there’s no disruption; just a continuation of that walk into eternity. So, if you are hiding, step out of the shadows and take His hand. Then, repent and start walking with Him again.