I was praying earlier and reflecting on Adam and Eve, specifically the part of the story when they were “exposed”. To get better context, check out Genesis 3. The fact remains, they were already naked, they just didn’t know it. How could they go from being naked and not knowing it to still being naked and suddenly knowing it? The discovery of being naked certainly wasn’t about clothes. They didn’t even know what clothes were yet.

Their nakedness was about suddenly not being one with God.

As it was and as God intended, they were already living the eternal life of God, the Oneness He desired to have with them, with us, with mankind. When God said “Where are you?” it wasn’t because He didn’t know where Adam was. It was because Adam needed to hear His question of mercy seeing Adam did not know that he had been separated from God, no longer in the oneness with God.

May it never be that God has to ask me “Where are you?” It is a question He knows the answer to. He asks the question so we ask it and answer it for ourselves. It is a question for self-examination. It is a question of mercy for someone who is unknowingly operating in their ignorance. Hence the term, ignorant. We don’t know what we don’t know. We’re ignorant.

But we do have a Father who is not willing to give up on us or leave us alone in our ignorance. Thankfully, He will ask us “Where are you?”. It’s not because He’s curious but because He wants us to know what it is we are not knowing. It is His merciful way of showing us something about ourselves without condemning us, ridiculing us, hurting us, insulting us, criticizing us.

There were additional follow-up questions in this story. Gen 3:11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?

Isn’t it interesting that God would ask so many questions He already knew the answers to? Why ask questions you already know the answer to? We do it to teach. Why do we do that with our children? To teach them. Why do teachers do it with students? So students learn. God asked questions for their benefit. It is His merciful way of letting us know what we do not realize we don’t know. “Who told you that you were naked?” In other words, the only way that you would come to realize that you became separated from Me is because you did something to separate yourself from the Oneness we had.

Conversely, when we ask God, “Where are you?” it indicates we are acting blind but at least it does get us moving in the right direction. The act of humility is noted by Him and He always says “I am right here.” When I say “Where are you?” to Him, essentially I’m saying “I’m lost, help!” He is always just a door knock away on an office door that is not only unlocked but always wide open.

If you can’t utter, “Where are you?”, He’s actually just one word away… “Lord?!!…”

If you haven’t heard Him say, “Where are you?” then ask Him where He is. He is waiting to hear from you today.