Where are you Adam?

I keep saying that God the Father often gets a bad rap, and part of this is that we too often identify Him with our less than perfect earthly fathers. I know I did. But if we want to know what Father God is like,  we just need to look at Jesus (John 14:9). And He came to seek and to save that which is lost (you and me without Him – Luke 19:10). And what the Father is doing here in Genesis 3:9 is seeking Adam. Adam was afraid because he was naked, and had hidden from God, he was lost! God wasn't asking because He didn't know where Adam was, I mean He's God, He knows everything! He was in fact calling Adam home back to Himself. He calls us home too.  But we likely won't hear proactively, until we know we are lost,   how would even know we need to saved (rescued)?

For most of us,  coming to the  place where we can acknowledge that without Him we are lost, is a journey. Some never arrive! In recovery circles we call it coming to the end of ourselves, to our bottom.  In my own case I needed a series of ever deeper bottoms before I was willing to admit that I even needed to change. I had sown wind, and had reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). But I was still not willing to admit I was lost, and I set out to improve myself. Through trying, I discovered with Paul, that I couldn't do the good things I wanted to do, and I couldn't stop doing the things I knew were wrong, the things that had got me into trouble in the first place (Romans 7:19).  So it was some time from knowing I needed to change,  until I came to the place where could admit I was lost and needed help.  It was very painful. It's called pride! In the words of  twelve-step-programs, I needed a higher power.  A higher power is someone or something greater than myself.  Some higher powers are more helpful than others. For some their hight power is their mother,  or their friends,  or even a cup of coffee. For me I chose the creator of the universe as my higher power, the One who spoke and stars were flung into space. There is no higher power!  I have been accused as using God as a crutch.  But I find Him more like a brand new pair of legs, and I don't see anyone who without Him who is not limping!

One of the things I struggled with was my emotions, in particular with what I was wanting or not wanting to do. The saying seems to be true that we don't do addictions to get high, we do addictions to mediate the pain. My higher power promises to change our wrong desires as well as give us the wherewithal to do His will. But in order to tap into this,  we need to give it our all (Philippians 2:12, 13). Half measures availed us nothing!

Father the message of the cross is foolishness to those can't admit they are lost. But to we who are being rescued,  it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).  Even as believer I don't fully understand it, but I do know that I am ransomed,  healed,  restored and forgiven. And for these and many other things I give you thanks and praise in Jesus Name Amen