I’m convinced that everyday, we should walk with God, in his presence, communing constantly with him.  It was the kind of relationship that Adam and Even had before sin entered the world.  It was heaven on earth.  Daily.  Constantly.

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8, 9)

What a question!  Where are you? If there’s one thing I’m hearing God say right now, it’s “Where are you?“

It’s not a harsh, condemning “WHERE ARE YOU!”  It’s a gentle, wooing whisper, “Where are you?“ Caring. Grace-filled. Loving. Fatherly.  It’s tender.  Very, very tender.

Yet, even then, I hide myself like Adam and Eve.  I cover myself with busyness, distraction, entertainment, mind-numbing activity.  Instead of pressing in, I press on.

Why?  It doesn’t make sense.  I think it’s because when God whispers his tender, “Where are you?“, the enemy screams harshly, “WHERE ARE YOU!”  The Divine Whisper is blocked out, masked, covered by the schemes of the enemy.  Yet, Jesus paid our price for sin.  We can “come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

The invitation is there, but it’s not a free invitation. A heavy price was paid for admission–the death of Jesus.  By his righteousness, we can come before God’s throne in our time of need.  The door to heaven is open, and through Christ, we can go right into the throne room.  We are “clothed in Christ”, and accepted by God because of who we are (children of God), not because of what we’ve done (sin).

Come on.  Let’s go inside.