Where Are You?
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?” -Genesis 3:9-11
LENT DEVOTIONS
Mrs. Hillary Krahn
2/20/2026
When you parent young children who have just learned to walk but aren’t quite independent yet, the biggest fear you have is when they’re in another room and they’re suddenly quiet. Being quiet for a toddler or preschooler usually means 2 things: they fell asleep in a random spot for a nap, or they’re up to no good. As a parent, I’ve experienced both. The worst is when they’re in possession of a marker or mom’s makeup. When we look at our verse of the day from Genesis, I feel like God is thinking the same thing when he goes to the garden. Why are Adam and Eve quiet? Are they resting, or up to no good? In God’s case, he knew. His parental intuition is like nothing us earthly parents will ever have. Yet he still asks, “Where are you?” My question for my children was usually the same, “Where are you? What are you doing?”. God asks Adam and Eve, “Who told you that you were naked?” An appropriate parental follow up question, clearly looking for omission of guilt and a confession. Just like children, the response isn’t immediately forthcoming but twinged with shame and stubbornness. “Who told you that you could draw on the books with a marker?” To which a toddler would simply grin at you and deny wrongdoing.
As sinful humans, admitting our wrong doing to our Father has been hard to do since the fall. We don’t want to confess, we’re stubborn, fallen creatures. We’re toddlers to an all-knowing God who created us and raises us as His own. Adam blames Eve before saying that he too took the fruit. We don’t want to tell God about our shame. My then toddler didn’t want to be in trouble with mom.
But there’s a loving outcome with these stories. A toddler is going to be corrected, and a loving parent is going to tell them to not repeat their actions (and hide markers and makeup better). God, as a loving Father, provides clothes for Adam and Eve, but also consequences. Even still with the consequences, he makes a promise of salvation for what their actions have caused. He acts as a loving Father and saves us from our sinful nature.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for salvation through your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for putting us on the correct path ever since the fall into sin. Amen.
