Where Are You?

Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree God had told them not to eat from. Now they felt afraid. When they heard the Lord in the garden, they looked for a place to hide among the trees.

Leaves moved around them. The garden they had once explored with joy became a place where they tried to hide. But hiding could not change what had happened.

Then God called to Adam. “Where are you?” He asked. The Lord knew where Adam was, but He was inviting him to come out of hiding and speak with Him.

Adam answered that he had heard God's voice and had been afraid. That was why he had hidden. He was telling the truth about his fear, but he still needed to answer for his choice.

God asked whether he had eaten from the tree He had forbidden. Adam pointed to the woman who was with him. He said she had given him the fruit and he had eaten it.

Then God spoke to Eve and asked what she had done. She answered that the serpent had deceived her and she had eaten. The deception was real, but Eve had also made a choice.

Neither Adam nor Eve could go back and change that moment. They could not put things right by placing all the responsibility on someone else. Each needed to acknowledge what they had done before God.

The Lord did not stop speaking to them because they had disobeyed. He sought them and listened to their answers. There were consequences to face, but they were not beyond His care.

When we do something wrong, we may want to hide or blame someone else. We can tell what happened, acknowledge our part, and ask for help repairing what we can. God's voice in the garden reminds us that we can come to Him with the truth.