Where Are You?

Where Are You?

“Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “‘Where are you?’” Gen. 3:9.

God did not find Adam where He expected to find him, and He had to call out, “Where are you?”

But how is it with us? Does God always find us where He wants us, or does He always have to look for us and call out, “Where are you?”

We have promised to serve Christ, to love and obey Him in all things. We have entered into a covenant of a good conscience with Him in baptism, that from now on there will be an end to our old, selfish way of life. Now it is Christ who is to rule in our life. We want to do what He wants to have done, because from now on we no longer belong to ourselves. We have been baptized into His death—we are dead to living for our own pleasure.

That is what the covenant of baptism is if it is to be valid before God. This promise is required of us if we are to be a disciple of Jesus, and from that moment on Jesus’ promise to give us all the help and support we need comes into effect. Christ is in deadly earnest about it, and He also requires seriousness in our actions. From now on He expects to find us faithful to our promise.

Unfortunately, He finds very few people who are faithful in their place. He has to look around and call out, “Where are you?” How unpleasant it is for an employer if he does not find his employees at their place when he wants an important job done right away. But if it is important to be in our place in our earthly work, it is much more important to be at our place where Christ can expect to find us. All His work is of eternal value. We are His hands and His feet; we are His body. If Christ wants to care for the poor, the sick, the widows, and the orphans in their need, He wants to care for them through us; and what Christ wants to say to people, He wants to say through us. However, everything must be said and done at the right time and in the right place.

How shameful it is for us to hear Him calling, “Where are you?” and then to have Him find us busy with serving ourselves—we who in the presence of witnesses have solemnly promised not to live for our own pleasure! There is still hope for us if we are thoroughly ashamed of ourselves and ask for forgiveness so that we can come to the right place. But it will go badly with us if we do not heed His call, and He could possibly stop calling us forever!

The fields are white for harvest and the workers are few. Where are you, young people? Don’t get lost in “good books” but in the Word of the Lord! If Christ has blessed and equipped you with gifts, He can also use you in His harvest for the salvation of souls.

May we awaken to seriousness, and may we always—wherever we are—see to Christ’s interests. May He find us faithful when He comes, fervent in Spirit, always ready to do every good work.