Digging Deeper – Where Are You?

The first question God asks in the Bible is, “Where are you?”

This comes directly after the first couple, Adam and Eve, listened to the serpent and ate the fruit and, as far as they knew, changed everything in their relationship with God. When God shows up, they hide.
So why did God ask, “Where are you?” It wasn’t because he was unaware of Adam and Eve’s location. If that were the case, God would have used the Hebrew word “Eifo.” This is the word you would use if you were asking, “WHERE do you live?” or “WHERE is the restroom?” But that is not the word this passage uses to quote God.

Instead, God asks, “Ayekah?” The root “Ayeh” is not about location. The question God is asking is more like, “Why are you not here where I am?”

Adam and Eve thought that their sin meant that God no longer wanted to meet with them. They thought their best option was to hide since God wouldn’t want to be around them. But God’s response wants them to look at themselves and realize that God hasn’t changed and that He is still there to meet them.

I believe God asks me the same question. On days when things are hectic and time is short, or when my spiritual life feels shallow and my sins overwhelm me, God walks in the cool of the day and asks, “Ayekah?” Don’t let what you have done or how you feel about yourself or God come between you and your Creator. Go and meet Him now.