Daily Manna, Year Two · Day 91 · April 1
Where Art Thou
“And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
Why would God ask a question when He already knows the answer? Genesis 3 shows us, and the reason is good news.
After they had eaten, Adam and his wife "heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day," and they hid among the trees. God knew exactly where they were. Still "the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" He sent the question to a man who had just made himself hard to find, and He asked it in a way that let Adam speak first. Adam could come out and answer, or he could choose to stay hidden.
Adam's answer was honest about how he felt and quiet about what he had done: "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said nothing about the tree. So God asked another question that went straight to the point: "Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?"
God keeps doing this all through the Bible. He asks Cain, "Where is Abel thy brother?" while Abel's blood is crying out to Him from the ground. He asks Elijah twice, at a cave, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" after the prophet had run for his life. Each time, the person has to tell God plainly where they really are.
Notice when that first question comes. It comes after the eating and before any sentence is passed. The first thing God says to the man who has failed Him is a question, and a question is an open door. It gives the guilty person room to come out and tell the truth.
Father, You know where I am, and You are asking anyway. I have been telling You how I feel and keeping quiet about what I have done. Ask me again, and I will answer. I will come out from among the trees and tell You the truth about where I have been, because You are the God who calls out to people who hide. Amen.
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year one reading for day 91 is Spirit-Given Power (2 Timothy 1:7).