Where Are You?

The email landed in my inbox; my pastor sent specific verses to be read that Sunday. Since this wasn’t my first time to read scripture aloud in a church service, I was completely caught off guard at the challenge.

Beginning at Genesis 3, I read in preparation, and continued through verse 14.

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, 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?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you 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 of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” Genesis 3:8-13 ESV

I sat perplexed. How am I supposed to read this?

For decades, I have volunteered to read scripture in Sunday morning services, both as an adult and as a youth. Speaking with microphone in hand, quoting scripture amidst blinding stage lights is not foreign to me, though I do still get a tad nervous each time. I have received formal coaching on best practices when reading scripture aloud, and have learned to rehearse my tone, rehearse my pronunciation, and rehearse my form in an effort to honor the living Word of God.

In a desire to speak of its intended meaning, I feel a weighty responsibility calling the congregation to stand for the reading of God’s word.

It seems simple enough, but this verse in particular caused me to pause and ponder about how to speak the very words of God. What tone does He use here with Adam and Eve after their choice to disobey his desires and doubt his design? In guilt and shame they run, hide, and avoid. God is all knowing. He knows the exact location of Adam and Eve here, yet he still asks, “Where are you?”

How do you read that inquiry?

Is it spoken in the tone of an angry Father who realized his first creation just made a paramount mistake?

Is it spoken as a grieving Father, who is broken over the sin and separation that entered into their relationship for the first time?

Is it spoken as a compassionate Father, who is longing for re-connection after lies were believed?

Could it be a mixture of all of these?

Reading scripture is crucial to a life of faith. It is the window into the very heart of God, the guidebook for every creature under the authority of Creator, and the picture that reveals how all things work together in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. However, what is equally important to reading the word of God, is to be mindful of how we read it.

Whether public or private, how do you read the spoken words from God himself over you?

We each have an inner voice, don’t we? We each have a voice that we assign to God through our experience of him, disappointment with him, or shame from him. This voice that we imagine informs the way we hear from him as we read and study scripture.

This past Sunday, it happened again as I read aloud on stage, in front of cameras, the following verses.

All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. John 17:11-12 ESV

In this passage, denoted as the red section, are the very words of Jesus as he prays tenderly to his Father. I immediately felt inadequate to portray the pure love of our Savior as he pleaded to God on our behalf - to make us one with them.

The way we read this matters.

Where are you today?

What voice do you hear as you read these words?

While the answer will be different for each one of us, may I encourage you to take time this week to think about how you hear God’s voice in your life.

Above all, remember that His banner over you is and will always be love. You will forever be invited to meet with him at his table, feasting upon his word, and I pray your time together will satisfy the deepest longings of your soul.

“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” Song of Solomon 2:4 ESV