8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?”
And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:8-13
Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 Then He said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! Genesis 4:2-10
My words…
God, you know it all – every answer to every question. Yet you posed questions to Adam and Eve and their son, Cain – questions to which You already knew the answers. You knew the hiding place of Adam and Eve, yet You called out to them. You witnessed the deception and knew the origin of their shame, yet You inquired after the details. You knew the source of Cain’s fury and the result of his actions, yet You questioned the whereabouts of Abel. Why? I think it’s because they needed to answer You in order for them to learn the condition of their hearts. Something You already knew, but they hadn’t figured out. You asked the perfect questions to lay open the hearts of this family and bring their sin out in the open. No more hiding. No more deception. They messed up, and they didn’t want to re-live it. I don’t blame them. But You’re all about the condition of the heart – shining a light into every corner so it can be cleansed.
A Prayer for Me
The questions You posed in Genesis transcend time; each of these could be asked of me every day. Many of them I really don’t want to answer. I squirm. Sadly, we’ve had conversations such as this before:
God: Did you do something I commanded you not to do?
Me: You talkin’ to me?
God: Why are you acting this way?
Me: Uh, because it’s what I want to do.
God: Where is your brother?
Me: What brother?
Father, I pray that You continually question me. Question my intentions. (Why am I doing this?) Question my actions. (What am I doing here?) Force me to examine my own heart and realize my intentions, so that when You question me again, I will have a ready answer – an answer worthy of Your question.
Forgive Me
Forgive me when I close my ears to Your voice or drown it out with my own pathetic excuses or smart rebuttals. I realize that the only reason You question me is to lay open my heart for me to see…and repent. I repent.
A Prayer for Others
Oh God, I pray for the hearts of those who refuse to seek You. They certainly know who You are. They have heard Your name from the lips of many. But they are shackled by arrogance, ignorance, or fear. Break the shackles, Lord! Set Your questions on their hearts and in their minds, leading them to sincerely ponder the answers. Bring them into the path of your servants here on earth who will lovingly guide them toward the truth.
Thank you
Thank You for being the God who questions. With You, there’s no lecture, sermon, or tirade but a series of nudges moving me in the direction I should go. You make me think and wonder, and Your gentle Spirit is my teacher.
More Praise
Lord, You are the God of reason. You are not arbitrary or fickle, hurling thunderbolts like the gods created by man. You are changeless and constant. I praise You for your faithfulness to me. You will not leave me, I know that. Your questions are placed on my heart to draw me closer. Only a God of unsearchable love would act that way.
