Something of Eden

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.               

 Genesis 2:18

When the Lord spoke those words to Adam, He was not noting a shortcoming or fixing a problem. He was announcing the next step in His Creation. Remember, Adam hadn’t expressed loneliness. It was God who determined there was a need because it was God who had created the need.

The gift of relationships is a gift of Eden. Throughout eternity, the Trinity has lived in perfect love and fellowship. Because God desired to withhold nothing good from His children, He wanted mankind to know the richness and joy of relationship. In one act, by the creation of Eve, the Lord established the universe of human connection. From that act came husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sisters, brothers and cousins, neighbors and friends, aunts and uncles, on and on…

From that act has also come heartache and strife. How can it be that which brings the most profound joy a heart can know also cause the deepest pain and sorrow, namely other people.

But God will have the last word. Never doubt that. For it is against the pain of the human condition that the reality and power of divine love shines most brightly. Loving families, faithful friends and caring churches speak more eloquently to the watching world about a God who is alive and well and personally involved in the lives of His people than a thousand sermons ever will.

Next time you are angry or upset about a relationship, before calling your mother or your best friend, spend a few moments alone with the Lord. Seek His insights and His wisdom for your situation. He knows, He cares and He is able. After all, it may be your battle, but it is His war.

Nancy Shirah