In probably the most well known story of the Bible, this question makes an appearance. After Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden tree and commit the first sin, God simply asks “Where are you?” This is a profound question. God is all-knowing and most certainly knew Adam and Eve’s location. This question was deeper. “Where are you?” Perhaps it was not the physical location so much as the emotional and spiritual location. For the first time Adam and Eve were both separated from God, the Father. For the first time, when they heard his footsteps, they hid. Sin had a way of hindering their relationship with God.
“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, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?””
Genesis 3:8-9, NIV
Prior to the fall and the initial act of sin, Adam and Eve were in the present moment with God. They were living in the now. Often this, living in the present, is one of the hardest struggles.
“Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.”
Randy Armstrong
According to a recent study, it turns out that 85 percent of what subjects worried about never happened, and with the 15 percent that did happen, 79 percent of subjects discovered either they could handle the difficulty better than expected, or the difficulty taught them a lesson worth learning. Simply put, 97 percent of what you worry over is no more than your worry knitting a tapestry of fear and doubt (Borkovec et al, 1999).
After the fall, Adam and Eve were living in the past, away from God, for the first time. They were consumed with the guilt of their sin so they hid. They feared what would happen, so they hid. They let worry consume them.
“So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”
Genesis 3:23, NIV
Some may say that their worry was warranted. After all, they were banished from Eden as a result of their sin. However, the devil is in the details, so to speak. The word “banished” is being translated from the Hebrew שלח (shalach), which means ‘to send away’. God sent Adam and Eve from the garden in an act of love. He could not allow them to eat from the tree of life in their sinful state and live forever as sinners. God wanted to offer them a chance at redemption that could only be obtained through death. So in God’s infinite love he sent them out of the garden so he could spend eternity with them after their earthly death.
So, where are we? When struggles and stressors occur in our lives, do we fall to our knees in prayer or do we look to the comforts of the modern world? When our son became ill, the first thing we wanted to do was run an internet search on what his symptoms were and find peace in what WebMD told us. However, true peace came when we fell to our knees in prayer and asked God to heal our baby boy if it was His will. We spent time as a family in His word and allowed Him to speak to us. Our son regained his health and we gained a peace from the Holy Spirit.
Living in the now or the present moment has been a hallmark of mental health for years. There are many ways the secular world teaches this. They educate people on breathing exercises, mindfulness practices, and more. However the real secret to living in the present moment is allowing God in, living in harmony with His Holy Spirit, spending time in the Word, and applying Scripture to life.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
Philippians 4:6, NLT
“Where are you?” Are you hiding from God because you are worrying about your future? Are you hiding from God because you are ashamed of your past? Or, are you standing in front of God saying, “Yes, God, I am here. I am your good and faithful servant, do with me what you please”?
Source: Borkovec, Thomas & Hazlett-Stevens, Holly & Diaz, M.L.. (1999). The Role of Positive Beliefs about Worry in Generalized Anxiety Disorder and its Treatment. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.
Messengers of Mercy 