Genesis 2:18-20
God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.
This is lovely, absolutely lovely. One Sunday service recently, oone of our leaders briefly talked about this verse, stressing on how God brought ALL the animals and birds to Adam and let Adam give them names. He stressed on how that was some serious time spent between God and Adam, and I absolutely agree! After all, we do have millions of animals on this planet :) At that point, I realized how much God has wanted to spend personal time with us from the very beginning. If God simply created man to live on his own like every other creature, He would not have bothered to spend that time with Adam. It is such an amazing thing to know that God not only would, but wants to, spend time with li'l ol' me :)
Today, I read this verse again. And I realized something else. Now listen and listen good. Read it out loud if you have to: God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." God had decided Adam needed a companion; a soulmate. And being God, He knew VERY WELL who the perfect companion would be. But instead of simply creating the woman and presenting her to Adam, God brought in all the animals and let Adam screen through them (naming them in the process) to find what fits his fancy.
Did you miss it? Is it because I didn't bold it? :)
God didn't just give Adam a treasure, He got Adam involved in finding that treasure. This is like a father who has an idea for a gift he knows his child will love. But instead of just getting the gift and directly giving it to the child, they go on a hunt for it together. They spend time together, they go on an adventure; it's fun, it's exciting!
But the child doesn't find the gift. Adam didn't find that suitable companion. So guess what Daddy God did - He put His child to bed and created that gift while the child slept. And when the child woke up,what a surprise he got. What a surprise! Read the following verses - Adam was delighted to finally have his treasure.
My point here is, when it comes to OUR personal relationship with God (yes, it is a relationship, not just a religious event!) - and this applies for everyone - He KNOWS what is best for us and He KNOWS the desires of our hearts. And as Eve was a suitable companion for Adam, God also wants to provide us suitable treasure. But He doesn't want to just give us, as we often ask for it. We're so impatient; we just want everything to be done for us or given to us immediately!
Listen - God would rather spend time with you on an adventure of life, letting you dream and learn and have fun along the way, than just drop a gift at your feet.
YES, He tells us He has treasure for us, so that we may get excited and hopeful. These are ourDREAMS.
YES, He brings us on hunts and trials, so we may learn to overcome obstacles and overlook the things that are just not that important. This is our EXPERIENCE and WISDOM.
YES, He lets us go through disappointment, so we may truly appreciate the wonderful surprise He has in store for us. This is our REWARD.
Come on now. Is God not wonderful?
