Adam and Eve have eaten of the forbidden fruit and their perfect relationship with God has changed instantaneously for the worse.

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” — Genesis 3:6-13 (NKJV)

Yesterday they walked with God in innocence; today they are sinners, afraid of His presence.

The undeniable call for each of us is the same as it has always been, to be in relationship with our God. Adam and Eve enjoyed a personal relationship with God before they sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. When that occurred Adam and Eve were separated from God. His question to them was not one that He could not answer, but a rhetorical question that was designed to cause them (and us) to think about their situation. It was designed to cause them to realize their separation from God and the reason for it.

God is still calling to us today with this same question — Where are you? Or what have you done? It is the call that we all are responsible for hearing. It is not merely a question from God about our whereabouts, physical or spiritual, but it is a query that holds an invitation. It is God calling us back into a personal relationship with Him. This calling is not for the few, it is for the many, for the human race, for all who have ever and will ever live.

It is the same thought that Jesus expressed upon His entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37 and Luke 19:42 — If only you had been willing to come to me.

The primary call to us is unchanged throughout history. It still thunders down to us from the words of Genesis 3:9, from the voices of the Old Testament Prophets, and from the passionate call of Jesus Himself as He says, “Come, follow Me.” 

This is not the call to service that we hear so much about. It is the irrefutable, undeniable, ev-erlasting call of Almighty God to an eternal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ that ab-solutely transcends any and all other callings and manifestations of service. So, the question still stands — Where are you?

Rev. Bobby Thornhill is a retired pastor.