They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of [Y]ou in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, the woman whom [Y]ou gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3: 8-12, NRSV).
Dearest God, Please open our eyes to behold truth out of Your Word. This is our prayer in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
What a terrible difference sin makes! Notice the change of speech from one chapter to another. From an exclamation of pleasure that sounds very much like a love song . . .
” ‘[Wow!] This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
for out of Man this one was taken’ “
(Genesis 2: 23).
. . . to what sounds very much like an accusation of the Sovereign God Himself: ” ‘The woman whom [Y]ou gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate’ ” (3: 12, emphasis provided). Before the entrance of sin, she was “my better half.” (We still hear people referring to their spouses in this manner). But after sin, she becomes, “the woman whom You gave to . . . me.” How sad. But there is hope my friends! If we apply the rule of thumb that I mentioned yesterday, I believe that we can take our marriages from a place of accusation, to a place of affirmation. This is possible, if we can learn to refer to each other in terms of endearment. If we can go back to how it was, “in the beginning!”
Women can once again be seen and appreciated for what they really were created to be, man’s equal; the complementary half of their husbands. His attributes complement, and enhance her. Her attributes, complement, and enhance him. Together, they can paint a beautiful picture of our heavenly Parent. There is also “Good News” for unmarried women, they can also be “whole” by themselves. God has promised to be their “husband,” ” Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace . . . For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is [H]is name” (Isaiah 54: 4, 5).
My sisters, allow the LORD to minister to you in a special way this week. If you are married, renew your commitment to the LORD, to be the faithful wife He called you to be. To stand by the side of your husband, as his equal, to complement and beautify his life, to the best of Your ability; in God’s strength, and by God’s grace. If you are single, and are praying for a life partner, do not despair. Enjoy your singleness while it lasts. There are advantages to being single. If, in God’s perfect plan for your life, He has a life partner for you, in due time, God will bring the two of you together. And you will be glad you waited. Take advantage of this time to grow, and become the complete woman God created you to be; so that you can really complement the life of the man God has for you, and also be able to appreciate him, as a complement to your life. If there is not going to be a man in your life, that is not the end of the world. God will always be there for you, and life with God, is never boring, when we get to know Him! Besides, there is a whole exciting world, and wonderful people, to meet and to enjoy.