My Beloved, Where Are You?

Adam and Eve committed sin and when they heard God walking in the garden of Eden, they hid themselves from his presence. Then, God asks man His first question to humankind: “The Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ (Gen 3:9).”

Of course, God knows where Adam and Eve are hiding. He is God, after all.

In Hebrew, “Where are you?” is just one word, “AYEKAH,” and it is packed with meaning. The word is much more than a mere question about location.

Some theologians suggest that due to its root word “AY,” it contains emotion, an expression of grief, mourning, lamentation. In this case, God (who already knows what happened), is mourning over His beloved who has betrayed Him, calling for his beloved to return to Him, knowing the relationship as it was is now severed.

Others suggest that it is a moral question. Where are you now? What is the condition of your heart, now, after the sin? How have you changed? What have you learned from this? Where are you in this?

And others suggest that it is all of the above. It is God grieving his beloveds’ choice to betray and disobey, resulting in the loss of mutual presence and relationship. It is God, in a condition of deep mourning, asking Adam and Eve to consider their spiritual situation, as it has now changed.

For us, the entire New Testament begs the question to its readers, now and forever, “Where are you in this? What is the condition of your heart? Where are you spiritually?” And since our Holy Bible is God’s Word to us, these questions originate from God Himself.

Where are we spiritually? Is there an area in our lives where we habitually disobey God? Are we hoping to hide something from Him, holding it behind our backs like disobedient children? Are we willing to come out and be in relationship with Him? “My beloved, where are you in this?”

Lord, we are not so different from Adam and Eve. We disobey. We want to be in control and we delude ourselves into thinking we know what is best. Oh Lord God, sweet Jesus, precious Holy Spirit, thank You for Salvation, the forgiveness of our sins, Your presence in our lives, Your guidance and love. May we continually ask ourselves, “Where am I in this? How am I doing? Where am I failing? In what areas are my strengths and weaknesses? How can I come out from [the bushes and weeds], my busy life, to spend more time with my God?”  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.