WHEN GOD ASKS A QUESTION
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9
When an acquaintance asks a question that hits too close to home, skirting the issue is always a temptation. “Where were you last night?” The answer can be short and evasive. “Out!” The one who asked will usually get the message that the subject is closed.
But when God is the One who asks the questions, does the truth not come spilling out? Is lying to God even a temptation for us? He is the one we worship. Knowing His character and His holiness, we tremble and know our place.
Cain knew God. God talked with his family. God was intimate with them. Cain knew God’s nature; He was love but He was also holy. He was powerful but He was also approachable. Did Cain cave when God came to ask him Abel’s whereabouts? Not at all. The first words of sarcasm in scripture are found in Cain’s retort. “What? Am I my brother’s keeper?”
This will be short today. There is nothing more to say except this. When I’ve sinned and the Spirit of God asks me, “What have you done?” The only option available to a child of God who knows her place is this, “Oh God, I have sinned. Forgive me!”
Oh Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:1-3
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Friday, 06 March 2020.
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