The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. – Genesis 2:8
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. – Genesis 3:8
And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. – Genesis 5:24
Man was created to fellowship with God. All went swimmingly at first – Eden was a glorious garden, and it was Adam’s job to keep it with Eve’s help. After a hard day’s work, I imagine they took leisurely strolls, appreciating every new discovery within the world around them. And then there were those precious moments with God Himself, delighting in the Creator, and bringing delight as His creation.
But then, everything changed. All of a sudden, man was running from rather than to God. As Adam’s generations progressed, intimacy with God became more and more rare. In fact, when a glimmer of the old times resurfaced with Enoch, God took him bodily from the earth to continue the conversation directly in heaven.
Unfortunately, things got worse before they got better. But thank God, they didn’t stay that way. With Jesus coming to restore the breach, there is once again hope for rekindling the original flame of fellowship between God and man.
We are all called and gifted in different ways. But the central theme is that each gift and calling ultimately draws us to walk with the One who has bestowed them. It has been said that man has a God sized void in his heart, and every attempt to fill it with any one or thing other than God is futile. All around us is the evidence of these failed attempts – idols in the form of misplaced desire, which eventually begin to rule and destroy.
If we were created for fellowship with our maker, it stands to reason that life couldn’t possibly be abundant without that relationship. This week, take the time to pause in the midst of life’s busyness. Do our pursuits draw us towards or away from God? Let us pray for the grace to take intentional steps towards the One who awaits us with open arms.
Be blessed,
R
Image attribution:
Wordzpread 