Out of Shame and into Stillness (Lent 1-2014)

“Where are you?”  Those words have echoed through the centuries.

Where are you?” God asks.

He’s not looking for information that He doesn’t already know.  He’s looking to call us out of the grip of sin—the archenemy of stillness—and back to the peace and presence of God.

Genesis 3: 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Where was God?  He was walking…in the garden…in the cool…of the day.  This is a picture of tranquility, peacefulness, stillness, and rest.  You can hear the babble of the brook as it gently tumbles over the rocks.  You can hear birds chirping softly.  And tree frogs singing their refrain.  God is walking among them and they joyfully sing their praises to Him.

Where were Adam and Eve?  Hiding, because they were ashamed and afraid.  They’d tried to cover themselves with leaves, but it wasn’t working.  Creative yet desperate attempts at covering our shame didn’t work then and they don’t work now.

“Where are you?” God might ask us.  Where is your heart?  What are you trying to hide from Me?  Don’t you think I already know?

“Where are you?” He might question so that we would take stock of where we are and what we’re doing.  He wants our own GPS to identify where we are in relation to God.  Are we like the rest of the peaceful garden?  Or do we have something to hide?

Be still.  You can come out of hiding.  I know where you are.

Be still.  I know what you have done.  I know it all.

Be still.  You cannot undo what you’ve done.  I’m not a God who looks to blame.  I’m a God who looks to love and forgive.

Know Me.  Know that I AM God.  I AM the God who made you.  I AM the God who loves you.  I AM the God who wants you to be with Me, in that place of rest and peace.

Know Me.  Know that I AM God.  I AM the God who forgives and will truly cover your shame.  I will do it Myself.

Be Still.  Know that I AM God.

* * *

Questions for Reflection:

1.  What are you trying to hide from God?  If nothing immediately comes to mind, bring it first to the human level.  What brings you thoughts of shame, things that you may be hiding from your parents, your children, your neighbors, your boss, and your friends?
2. What areas of your life have an unsettledness to them?  What do you worry about?  How might your coming closer to God and knowing He is God, help to give you peace in those areas?  What can you take out of hiding and lay before the God who knows?