Called Out
“Called Out”
by Pastor Alli Munsey
July 26, 2020
The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Genesis 3:6-13 (CSB)
In Genesis 3, we hear the story of Adam and Eve eating the apple in the garden. Instead of shaming them, God covers them with his love and a promise to protect humanity. For this reason, we are encouraged to trust him when we feel powerless and to rely on his grace to strengthen us and help us succeed.
No one likes to be called out. The reason we find ourselves hiding so often is that we know the right thing to do, so we hide the truths that hurt, and we ignore the places that God wants to reach. In the garden, God asks Adam and Eve: ‘Where are you?’. This is not because he does not know, but because he wants them to know where they are. Where are you in this pandemic? Are you in fear, anxiety, or addiction? Are you lonely? Are you numb? Many things can cause us to hide.
Since the beginning of time, God has always desired a relationship with us, rather than separation. Just like in the song, “As You Find Me” (Hillsong UNITED), his love is too good to leave us where we are. If we are broken or stuck in an offense, we don’t have to fix it. We can’t, but God can, and he wants to free us from our shame. When we’re in pain our natural tendency is to hide. God is still asking the question, “Where are you?” Once we get honest about where we are, that’s when Jesus can come in and heal us.
In Judges 6, Gideon hides from the Midianites in a winepress (Judges 6:1-2). Now he’s the one asking God: Where are you? Gideon felt worthless and stressed; he was not operating according to his potential. We may feel stressed by the people in our life because walking through a crisis together isn’t easy. We deflect onto others, like Adam in the garden. Instead of taking responsibility, we blame others. Jesus wants to heal in us what we demand he fix in them.
God calls Gideon out of hiding and away from strongholds and says he is a valued warrior. Crises have a way of showing us our need for him. When we are at the end of ourselves, that’s where God does his best work. According to the late theologian Mathew Henry, we need to take up our crosses along the way and lose our life in Christ to experience his full presence. Realizing who he is marks the beginning of our healing. God will heal us as we live life according to his purpose. Here are a few things we can learn from Gideon:
1. Agree with what God sees. Once Gideon got into agreement with what God was saying, he was then able to fulfill the purpose of God. We have to talk to ourselves more than we listen to ourselves. We have to check our thoughts and align them with what God says about us. How we see ourselves determines where we will go. Some examples from the Bible of what God says about us are Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 139:17-18, and Isaiah 43:12. Get into agreement with the good things that God is speaking over our lives.
2. Align yourself with God’s promise for you. When we are out of alignment, our whole body has a hard time functioning. Likewise, when one part of our heart is out of alignment, our whole soul has a hard time functioning. The promises of God for our life are, “Yes and amen.” His future for our life is good. He loves us. God can do the impossible in our lives, but he is waiting for us to step out of hiding and trust him. Hebrews 10:23 tells us that he who promised is faithful. God doesn’t change his mind based on the season that we’re in; God’s pattern is faithfulness.
3. Allow God’s grace to grip you. Seeking a relationship with us was always God’s plan. When we take hold of grace, we acknowledge our shortcomings, that we need a savior, that we can’t control everything in our lives. Accept the free gift of grace. God loved us in our shame, in our sin, in our self-deceit, and our pride. The mark of a Christian is repentance. Apologizing for wrongdoing is not a weakness; it’s the mark of God’s grace. When we come out of hiding, we take ahold of God’s grace. Grip it tightly. The grace of Jesus is for everyone.
Reflection/Discussion Questions:
1. In what ways have you been hiding from God?
2. What is God saying about you, and how can you come into agreement with him?
3. What are God’s promises for your life, and how can you align yourself with those promises?
4. Where do you need to let God’s grace come into your life and take over?