But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" (Gen. 3:9)
What an amazing verse this is! God comes looking for us, knowing full well our rebellion, our faithlessness, our depravity. He doesn't appear in wrath or judgement, but like a tender-hearted Father, he comes looking for his lost children. What a precious and hopeful thought, that even though I hide from Him, He comes looking for me!
Simon Tugwell says, "So long as we imagine that it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about; He is looking for us. And so we can afford to recognize that very often we are not looking for God; far from it, we are in full flight from him, in high rebellion against him. And He knows that and has taken it into account. He has followed us into our own darkness; there where we thought finally to escape him, we run straight into his arms. So we do not have to erect a false piety for ourselves, to give us the hope of salvation. Our hope is in his determination to save us, and he will not give in." (Prayer)
You hear the tenderness, the aching heart, in His simple question, "Where are you?" He doesn't ask because He doesn't know. He doesn't need information. He is trying to show us something He already knows but we don't yet realize: that we are far from Him, by our own choosing. He wants us to open our eyes, look around, and answer the question, "Now tell me, what d you see? Where has this gotten you? Do you see where you are?"
And so He pursues. Not to condemn but to rescue. Yes, there are harsh and bitter consequences, but His plan is to reconcile, redeem, ransom, and rescue. And He sets that plan immediately into motion in verse 15, the protoevangelium, the first gospel. He then seals it in blood for the first time of many in verse 21, the first blood sacrifice to cover the sins of man. Every verse of the rest of the Old Testament is a steady march toward the culmination of that plan, ultimately realized in Jesus Christ, the final and only perfect blood sacrifice for our sin. The rest of the New Testament is the story of Himself drawing men, women, boys, and girls from every tribe, tongue, and nation to Himself through Jesus. The story continues today, and we are all -- all believers everywhere -- a vital part of it with an irreplaceable role to play.
And our story still starts with this question: "Where are you?" The answer to that question can change your life forever.
