MONDAY

Genesis 3:8-11

Part of what we reflected on together last Sabbath was the experience of the disciples in a boat in the dark, battling wind and waves, feeling all the concerns and anxiety that come from feeling like you are at the mercy of the elements. Things were not going well, and Jesus seemed to be nowhere in sight. Circumstances and situations may vary, but the feeling is probably one that most of us can relate to. We’ll explore that feeling a bit more this week from a couple of different angles. The passage for today takes us back to probably the earliest moment in human experience when it was clear that things were not going well—in this case, what Adam and Eve were experiencing was a direct result of the mess they had made. Without minimizing that in any way, for our purposes today as you read through the passage, notice how Adam and Eve respond to God seeking them out in the garden. As a result of what happened, they are driven by the impulse to hide because they are afraid, because it is no longer comfortable for them to be “exposed” before God. All these things that they were experiencing were not because anything about God had changed, but because something about them had, which resulted in changing the way they saw God. In this case, what they were experiencing was directly tied to their own choices. Now as one of the impacts of sin on our world, what they were feeling towards God has become the default setting for all of us, even when what we struggle with are things we are not responsible for. Bringing the picture of God back into clearer focus was one of the reasons Jesus came to earth.

• How often do you find yourself responding in similar ways to God when you are struggling with something (e.g. a sense of anxiousness, fear, or the impulse to hide)?

• If you have done something that caused or contributed to what you are struggling with (or just assume you have), do you experience God’s interest in seeking you out more as something that makes you anxious or hopeful? Why do you think that is?

• What do you think is on God’s heart toward us when we are struggling? How do our assumptions about this impact the way we respond to God? (How does John 3:16-17 speak to this?)

• Do you tend to think about the plan of salvation more in terms of God taking something vile and repulsive and making it acceptable again, or God taking something wounded and suffering and bringing it healing and restoration? How might that distinction matter?

• How do you think God would most like us to respond when seeking us out during times when we are struggling?

• How did Adam and Eve’s response reveal the damage that sin had already done? What kind of response would have been more helpful to them? How might the way Jesus revealed God to us inspire us to respond differently?

Take a few moments to share with God what is on your heart as you reflect on your own walk with God today.