Where are you?

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"Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." Genesis 3:9-10.

You know, despite all that Adam said in response to God's question in Genesis 3:9, he never really answered the question. God called to him and asked "where are you?" - a seemingly simple question designed to ascertain the present location of the person being asked, right? Listen to Adam's response?
"I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Think about it, in what way is this the answer to "where are you"?

Picture this scenario: you were scheduled to meet up with someone for an 8am appointment at a particular place (say a restaurant). You arrived at the rendezvous early, some minutes before the time, you sat and waited, and at 8:00, you picked up your phone to call the person you were to meet with to know where he was, so as not to wait in futility.

You dialled his number, the call went through but he didn't answer. You tried a few times more until he finally answered, and you say, "Hello, I'm at the restaurant we agreed to meet, where are you?"
And he responds, "I saw your calls, and I didn't answer because I didn't know what to tell you since I was not there as we agreed."

Can you picture the look on your face upon hearing this? Smiling? Happy? I bet not. I imagine you'd be gutted, frustrated and probably feel like squeezing life out of the fella (lol). The first thing that would probably jump up out of your mouth, with a perplexed frown on your face, would be, "what is this one saying? I'm asking where you are and you're giving me 'moonlight tales'".

Why? Because he did not answer the question. The question is, "where are you?" all he did was beat about the bush and not even come close to answering the question. From his response, you cannot tell where he is, whether he is close to the restaurant, or far away, or whether he has even left home, or he is stuck in traffic somewhere. You really can't tell. He only stringed together some words which did not answer the "where are you?" question.

At a literal level, "where are you?" is a question designed to determine the location of its object (the person being asked). If I ask, "where are you?" I'm trying to find out YOUR PRESENT LOCATION (whether you're at home, at work, on the road heading somewhere, in church and so on); not where you have been, or why you are where you are, or what you are doing where you are? but simply "where" - your present location.

I would not expect you to give me stories; it's not a question designed to elicit 'moonlight tales'. And all things being equal, the person being asked should be able to correctly provide his/her present location.

But then, we know that God KNOWS ALL things, He is omniscient - the all-knowing God. Therefore, it wasn't out of ignorance that God asked Adam "where are you?"
God didn't ask Adam "where are you?" simply to determine his present location, God asking Adam "where are you?" is Him saying...
"Adam, why are you not where I put you...?"
"Adam, why are you not at our agreed meeting point at this time...?"
"Adam, you are not at 'our spot', where we used to 'hangout', you are no longer where we used to meet and fellowship together; Adam, where are you...?"
"I came to where we were supposed to meet and you were not there, Adam, where are you...?
God is saying and calling out to you, "come back to where I originally put you, come back to my presence, come back to our place of fellowship".

Sad thing is, until this day, many persons are yet to answer God's "where are you?" So, I ask you today, where are you? Are you where you should be, where God put you?

"The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and THERE HE PUT the man whom He had formed.
Then the Lord God TOOK THE MAN and PUT HIM in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." - Genesis 2:8,15.

Are you still where God put you - in His garden, in His presence? God is at your usual meeting point, where you used to 'hangout' and fellowship together, but He's wondering "where are you?"

God is saying...
"Son, why are you not where I put you...in my presence?"
"Daughter, why are you not at our agreed meeting point at this time...in the study of my Word?"
"Daughter, you are not at 'our spot', where we used to 'hangout', you are no longer where we used to meet and fellowship together...in the place of prayer?"
"I came to where we were supposed to meet and you were not there; son, have you repented of your sins and made Christ your Lord?
"Son, you have forsaken our rendezvous....in the place of living in holiness".

Where are you today? Please, think about it...
Have you hid yourself from His presence like Adam did because you are "naked" and "afraid"?
Are you no longer at the place of prayer to meet with the Lord as you used to because you are "naked" and "afraid"?
Are you no longer in the place of the study of His Word because you are "naked" and "afraid"?
Have you left the faith and fallen into a life of sin because you are "naked" and "afraid" to confess and ask for God's mercy?

What is your PRESENT LOCATION? IN Christ?
Remember, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." - Romans 8:1.

"....who are in Christ Jesus..." - present tense, those whose present location is "in Christ".
Get back to where God originally put you - in His garden, His presence, found only 'in Christ'.
God is asking, "where are you?" I am IN Christ, you?

"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9.