Not Geographical but Relational

‘And YHWH called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9
This question, so routinely overlooked, is THE question of our existence. “Where are you?” God asks each of us. It is the first question of existence.

The Hebrew word here is ‘ayyeh’; not a word about location but a word about relationship. God is not asking our geographical position. He is asking each of us why we are not alongside Him where we belong. Why aren’t we right beside Him? You and I must answer God. Where are we?

What would life be like if God were not in search of us? Would anything really matter? Qohelet (The Teacher), author of Ecclesiastes, describes the reality of life without God’s question. All is emptiness, emptiness. What difference does it make if I succeed or fail, if I am rich or poor, a genius or a dunce. Death swallows everything. I cease to be and memory of my being passes into the darkness of time. I return to the dust. Better I was never born than to live knowing that my life means nothing at all.

But if God searches for me, everything changes. If I am the object of divine concern, if God truly expects me to be a partner with Him in His grand scheme, then my being matters. It is not for nothing. I matter because I matter to God. Now I can seek my own meaning because His meaning finds me.

Unless you have answered the question, you have no idea where you are. The answer must be directed to God for He is the one asking. The answer is: “Hineni.” “Here I am, Lord. What would you have me do?”