We’re taking a different course than I had planned for this blog. Instead of going through the book of Acts I’ve thought of another theme we can follow through the Bible. It relates to the book I have coming out soon. I’m going to find some prayers in the Bible and analyse them for our lessons.
I think you’ll be surprised at the first instance I call prayer. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.
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“Grab that small vine over there.”
“Where?”
“Right behind you.”
As Eve spun around Adam’s gaze fell below her waist. Why had he never noticed that about her before?
Eve pulled as much of the string to her as she could grab. She gave it to Adam and noticed his red cheeks.
Adam spun away from her and concentrated on attaching the large fig leaves together.
“Do you think this will work?” Eve pulled in her bottom lip and bit on it lightly.
Adam glanced at her and saw where she was staring. He lowered the fig leaves to his waist and did his best to keep them in place. A breeze raised them over his intended objective.
Eve giggled. “This isn’t working.”
Some rustling leaves and humming caught Adam’s attention. He grabbed Eve’s arm and pulled her behind a thick bush.
“Stay quiet.” He whispered.
The humming stopped. “Adam, where are you?”
Adam hesitated, then stood. “I’m…um…over here. I didn’t want You to see me because I’m naked.”
“Who told you you’re…Did you eat from the tree I told you to leave alone?”
Adam grabbed Eve’s arm and lifted her to her feet. “This woman You gave me, she gave me some to eat after she had some.”
God looked at her.
Eve pointed behind God. “The serpent talked me into it.”
God turned slowly.
The serpent wiggled his forked tongue and smiled.
“YOU…you shall be cursed more than all the creatures. You shall crawl everywhere you go. One from the woman will crush your head. His heal will only be bruised.
As soon as God stopped talking the serpent’s legs disappeared. His chin slammed into a cloud of dust.
Eve stopped breathing when God gazed at her next. “You shall have pain in child birth. Your husband will rule over you.”
Adam swallowed as God turned to him. A tear rolled down God’s cheek. “Because you followed your wife instead of protecting her the ground will be cursed for you. You will sweat for your food among the thorns. You are made of dust and to dust you shall return.”
God turned to the rock next to Him. He sliced His hand through the air and struck the stone with the side of His palm. The rock splintered into shards. God bent down and chose a sharp section.
Two deer walked over to Him. He slit the throat of the buck and lifted him by its hind legs so the blood would spill on the ground. The gruesome task was repeated with the doe.
God deftly sliced the hide off each animal and wrapped them around the humans.
In silence He walked away.
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I’m sure many of you are surprised I define this section of scripture as a prayer. When you use this Webster’s definition of a prayer it fits completely. Prayer is carrying on a conversation with God.
That’s the relationship Adam and Eve enjoyed before they ate that forbidden fruit. In their innocence God had complete communion with them on their level on a daily basis.
That’s why He made them to begin with. God longed for somebody to love and to love Him in return.
That’s why God made you and me, too. He loves us, plain and simple.
God warned those humans that they would die when they ate that fruit. They lived physically for several centuries, but their relationship with their Creator was forever tainted. It died a dreadful death with that willful disobedience.
Human history has evolved tremendously since that day. The Bible traces the rise and fall of many people, tribes and nations. The theme continues to haunt every one of us even to this day.
Can we ever get that relationship back that Adam and Eve lost?
No, we never will. We’ll get a much richer one. Not in this life, but in the next.
Some astute readers will wonder how God walked among humans at the dawn of human history. He did the same way He always does, as Jesus.
It’s what theologians call a christophany.
[Tweet “Do you know how strongly God wants to rebuild His relationship with us?”]
Since God is a spirit we can’t see Him with our natural eyes, so He walked among us in the person of Jesus whenever He wanted to communicate with us.
Don’t worry if you can’t understand that. Nobody does completely. That’s where faith comes in.
Do you see the limitations that carries with it?
God can only be with one group of people at a time. That’s what Jesus pointed out to His disciples just before He ascended into heaven.
That’s why the Holy Spirit indwelling us is so much better. God can take up residence in as many people as want that relationship.
The problem comes back that we’re mostly physical beings relying on our physical capabilities to make sense of everything. This tension with the spiritual world grinds at everything we “know.”
One day in the future we’ll be on the same plane as God in this spiritual walk.
The curses leveled at the judgement of Adam and Eve will be lifted.
Pain will be a thing of the past. Death will die forever.
The richest possible relationship with God will be experienced by everybody who chooses to make Jesus their supreme being now.
Until then we’re stuck building that relationship back one agonizing frustration at a time.
Prayer has been given to us as a means of talking to God. The Bible is God’s principal means of communicating to us.
We struggle with prioritizing our time and energy in living this physical life while nourishing the spiritual one.
Do you know how strongly God wants to rebuild His relationship with us?
The last time He came to earth as Jesus He entered the egg of a girl. Grew up as we all do. Ate our food. Breathed our air. Struggled with spending time with God the Father and caring for lost people.
His death makes him the One who will crush the head of the one who indwelt that serpent.
I’ll see you later. Wade
