God calls out, “Where are you?” knowing full well where I am.
I am hiding.
Slinking into the shadows. Cowering in shame. Aware of yet another failure.
And all the while, God is still seeking me.
Calling for me to answer. Beckoning me toward His presence.
He issues an invitation for me to come out of hiding and step into His intervention program of forgiveness and grace. In the midst of my disobedience, He still desires my company, persuading me to come to Him, even when I feel like concealing myself in shame.
He asks, “Where are you?” not because He is unaware of my whereabouts, but because He wants me to be mindful of my position far removed from Him. He wants me to notice the darkness I am choosing to walk in when I step from the light of His presence. Not so He can rub my face in the filth of my sin, but so He can restore a broken relationship by offering the mercy I desperately need.
Again.
When God asks “Where are you?” He wants my honest answer. He bids me to summon the truth, even when its appearance shows my actions to be less than stellar. He wants me to look upon the mess of humanity I am so He can reveal the glory of His divinity at work in me. To see that only He can repair the ruins I have made of myself.
On the cross, Jesus assumed the full weight and penalty of our sins so we would never again fear the presence of God.
We were not created for concealment, beloved. We were made for friendship with Father. It was never His design that we would dread the sound of His footfall approaching, but rather that we would anticipate His coming.
It’s time to step from the bushes of seclusion and truthfully answer, “Here I am.”
It’s time to stop hiding and let yourself be found.
He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. – Proverbs 28:13
Mere Whispers 