Today we begin a new adventure of exploring those who have had encounters with God throughout history, from the beginning to the end. I think there are lessons to be learned from each era, each covenant, each account, each movement in history, and even each religion. Every exploration we experience together will place us in the shoes of those who have had an encounter with God, and will explore what happened, how God responded, and what can be applied from it today. Often, there will be a hymn or text or lyric associated with the devotional, to help guide our thinking more artistically.
What better place to begin than In The Beginning? What was it like to have fellowship with God BEFORE the Fall? It's almost impossible to imagine, I know; we are destined to need to confess and repent virtually every time we come before God, because we fall so strongly on His grace to make us worthy even to be in the same room with the Almighty Holy One. But there was a time. There was a day, or maybe a year or longer, in which there was nothing but uninterrupted fellowship between God and the ones who were made in His image.
I love to meditate on this moment, however fragile it may have been. That moment in time when the relationship between God and those who were made in His image was innocent. What was it like to walk with God in the cool of the evening, after enjoying a pleasant day of perfect weather tending the garden, naming the animals, and living in Paradise? This was not Paradise lost, or paradise regained; it was simply Paradise. No need for confession or repentance, no excuses or shifting blame, no need to try to spin a story. Only innocence and fellowship, uninterrupted love and adoration, unhesitant obedience to carrying out the will of the Creator.
In some ways, their relationship may have been like that of a parent with an infant, or a grandparent with that perfect boy who can do no wrong. But all of these pale in comparison to the actual relationship between Creator and Created, as the Creator sings over His beloved, and His beloved sings along.
Maybe before the Fall, their relationship was similar to the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. The Word was with God. He came from the Father. He IS His Father, and the Father is in Him. He heard from God early in the morning, and on the mountaintop, and in the Garden on the Mount of Olives. The Father who sent Him into the world was still with Him, and He was abiding in His Father, saying or doing nothing without the Father's direction. He said what He heard. He did nothing on His own. What's more, He was always PLEASING to the Father, and His Father took delight in Him. Jesus danced a little jig when the disciples returned, bringing news that the demons obeyed and fled before their commands. He says that He saw Satan fall from heaven, and it made Him delightfully happy to know it. The Father also took pleasure in His Son, such as at His baptism, when the Father introduced Him as His only beloved Son in whom He was well-pleased.
What would that be like, to have no need for repentance? To know and feel the Father's pleasure? Whatever it is like should be our experience after confession and repentance have taken place, every time. No need to keep bringing up the same old sins, right?
What especially blows me away is that the entire universe, all of creation, seems to be there for the purpose of being subdued by mankind! The same relationship that the Creator has with the universe is the relationship that mankind has with the earth! Creator God has authority over creation, He RULES OVER IT all, including mankind. And He uses the same terminology to tell Adam what his role is over the earth: RULE OVER IT. Name the animals. Work the ground. And then fill it and subdue it.
By extension, the entirety of creation, according to the book of Genesis, seems to be to provide an ideal home for man. Which means it is all a gift given to the crown of His creation. The image of God. “In our image.” Imago Dei. Made with intelligence enough to have a soul, a conscience, imagination, and to learn cause-and-effect.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
The worship that is happening among sinless angels in heaven, who sing, "Worthy!" and "Holy!" and "Blessing!" is what we were designed to be a part of. Can we, at least in our imaginations, go back to Eden and forward to the New Jerusalem, and know again what it means to be one with the Father?
So, if you ever find yourself wondering things like, "What is God's intended will for my life?" or "How does God feel about me, really?" or "Isn't Christianity an invention of people trying to placate an angry god?" Then take encouragement from this, my friend:
God's intention for us all is FELLOWSHIP. It's all about RELATIONSHIP. God has always intended for you and me to be His people, and for Him to be our God. Sin changed the plan. We are no longer on Plan A, and had to switch to Plan B. More about that soon. But know that the ultimate Plan has been to have what you might say we had once upon a time. In fact, dig this:
And God blessed them. . . . And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. . . . And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Genesis 1:28-2:3
Man was made on the sixth day, which means that the FIRST THING he experienced was a Sabbath with his God.
THIS is what we were made for!
YOUR ENCOUNTER
Take 30 minutes (or more!) for this exercise. Start with a slow reading of Psalm 139. Go ahead and include those awkward last five verses, and be honest about it all with God.
Now spend the rest of your time experiencing a walk with God, with nothing between you. No regrets. No mistakes. No lingering guilt. Just enjoyment of one another's company. Talk with God as you would talk with a friend, about every little thing, every big thing, every idea that comes to mind. Go ahead and be boring! He delights in you. Know that when you walked into the room, the Father stood and smiled, rejoicing that He was going to have some time with you. Maybe it will help you to pour Him a cup of tea, or go for a long walk, or write Him a nice, long letter. Whatever you would do with your best friend, do with God.
After your encounter is done, reflect on how your relationship with Daddy (Abba, Father) has changed, record it in your journal, and share your insights with someone.
“I freely give it all to you
freely give it all
I set the sun and moon in place
played the tune for dancing with the stars
added in the planets’ harmony of the spheres
and started singing over you before the foundations of the earth
so trust me when I tell you this:
I did it all for you
I gave it all away
I split the sky and dropped the dew
while I was thinking of you
divided sea and formed dry land
with my word and by my hand
created life in sky and sea
and filled the earth with plants to eat
and all that swims or flies or creeps
is given you to name and love and marvel in awe
I made you from the earth to rule and reign
and declare my life to you with every breath you take
I made it all for you
don’t you see what you mean to me?
I’ve given it all to you
so take what I’ve freely given
It now belongs to you ”