Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “did God really say ‘you must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
This morning as I spent quiet time with God, we went over this 3rd chapter in Genesis. This is how it came about.
My husband’s anniversary for his brain injury just passed. It has been 7 years. When his injury first occurred, many people told me to leave him and move on. He would never know. In the last 7 years I hear this often. I haven’t and I won’t. I know that many of these people say this because they know how badly Gary is damaged and understand that we don’t have a marriage. I am his caretaker and this is a lonely life. They want me to be happy. I want to be happy too but at what cost?
We are all familiar with this story. Adam and Eve are in the Garden, and God is in fellowship with them. It is a unique and precious relationship. In this Garden, they can eat from all the trees but one, and that is the tree that the devil is tempting them with. (Genesis 2:15-16) The devil knows what he is doing. It is his intention to get the woman to doubt God’s goodness and provision. As he approaches the woman he knows just how to tempt her. He knows how to get her to mistrust God. So he says, ‘all the trees’. Bait tossed and Eve takes it.
God knows Gary has a brain injury. God knows I’m his caretaker. God knows it’s been 7 years. Does God really want me to be alone? Well what if He does….God really didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree. God withholds from us those things we don’t need. We may want them, we may never need them. The tree had good fruit and came with a benefit-knowledge. Why would God want to keep that from Adam and Eve? Is He mad at them? Is He selfish? Is He uncaring? Is He unable to provide for them? No, no, no and no! It is because He loves them He asks them not to eat of this fruit for their sake not His. From the moment they bite it, they realize they are naked and they feel something they didn’t feel before-shame. Shame is not from God-shame is from sin and sin is from the devil.
I’m not always thrilled about being a caretaker. Yes, at times it is lonely. That is why I am especially thankful for my family and friends. Still I would like a closer relationship and God does know that. However, now, God is not changing my situation. So I am resting in His decision. For me to take a boyfriend, would be telling God that He cannot provide for me or that He doesn’t know what is best for me. That is what Adam and Eve’s actions told God. The result? Separated from the relationship they once shared with God. I am not going to risk that!
The devil always wants us to think badly of God. We blame God for all the evil in our lives. We blame God for all the fun we believe we are missing. We blame God for withholding good things from us. We blame God for our sick and dying loved ones. We blame God for our struggles. We justify blaming God in this, we think if He is God and good then why isn’t my life filled with good? This is the lie the devil has us all believing. This is how the devil trips us up and causes us to sin against God. We sin when we try to answer our own prayers by taking what we want and not waiting for God to give it to us. We argue that maybe God won’t give it to us. I can go the rest of my life a caretaker and not a wife. This is not what I want. It is the life God has given me. I’m not about to overstep God and take what He isn’t offering.
The next time you find yourself in a spot where you really want something and God isn’t allowing it. Think about what you are asking for and rest in His decision not to answer just yet. God does love us and He has an eternal purpose for our lives. We see the current page. We can trust God, we can always trust God.
Rev. Michele Beck, MACM 