MARCH 12, 2025
ON THE PORCH
FIND ME
**Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10
When Benny and I were first married, I thought he broke my arm. We moved to Levelland not long after our wedding. We lived at Alamo trailer park, and it seemed like we were always in traffic. One day, while driving down Hwy 114, someone was not paying attention and almost rearended us. They slammed on their brakes in my rearview and I threw my arm up with a one-finger wave they could not miss.
(Pause for a moment…as I sat here typing this, I started laughing loudly and couldn’t quit. Benny asked me to share, and I said I was trying to figure out how to phrase “flipping someone off” to sound more Christian.” He laughed and tried to help, but neither of us could come up with anything.)
As I yanked my arm up, Benny realized what I was doing and blocked my action with his arm, trying to diffuse my road rage, and that’s how I thought Benny broke my arm.
** Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:1-7
Benny is preaching a series on the falls/rebellions in Genesis. In his sermon on Adam and Eve’s fall, he pointed out a few things that hadn’t occurred to me or I’d forgotten.
Genesis 3:1 speaks of a conversation between Adam and Eve with the serpent. It sounds like they were accustomed to talking to the animals, because the Bible doesn’t say she was surprised when the serpent talked. It also doesn’t say she followed the snake to the tree, which leads the reader to believe they were there, eyeing the fruit. Adam and Eve were already standing at “the tree,” you know, the one that had the forbidden fruit hanging that was pleasing to the eye, the ONLY tree in the garden they were not allowed to eat of.
When tempting Eve, satan twisted the truth, and when answering the serpent, Eve exaggerated. Neither of them were true to God’s words, although they both knew them well. When preaching on this, Benny pointed out that Eve might have already been thinking about it, since she and Adam were already stationed there. He also brought to light that we do not really have to be coerced much when we want to do it anyways. All it really takes is a nudge and if more is needed, a little twisting of words and trying to reason our way into making it okay.
Benny also pointed out that Eve was duped into eating of the fruit, but Adam did it with his eyes wide open. satan knows scripture inside and out and is an expert at twisting God’s words to suit his own purposes.
The rest of the chapter goes on to tell the rest of the story. The moment they ate from the tree, they realized they were naked and hid and covered. They hid from the loving Creator who adored them, took care of them, and walked with them daily and covered their nakedness. For the first time, they knew shame.
The outcome of this decision was tough, but the worst consequence of their choice was the loss of fellowship with God. Instead of walking with Him, they hid. They tried to avoid Him. Then when they were called out on their sin, they invented the blame game and turned on each other. Eve tried to blame the serpent, Adam tried to blame Eve and God.
Snide comments Rude Remarks
Road rage Cussing
Gossiping Lying
Jealousy Offensiveness
Anger Pride
Pouting Disobedience
I am guilty of everything listed above and so much more. When I threw my arm that day, my intentions were not noble. I wanted the drivers behind me to know how upset I was and feel my anger. Misery loves company.
Benny, trying to avoid road rage in anyone else, blocked my attempt at venting my frustration. It hurt my arm physically, but it hurt my feelings that he didn’t justify or validate my actions.
Notice in my narrative above, I said “I thought Benny broke my arm.” I blamed him, just as Adam and Eve pointed fingers. It wasn’t Benny’s idea to flip the car behind us off, it was mine. I was the one that started the chain of events that led to my arm and pride being bruised for quite some time. Benny was just trying to prevent any further animosity on either of our parts. In years to follow, we’ve heard road rage stories that escalated to someone truly being hurt or killed.
I did not have to be coerced into being nasty to the driver behind me that day. I just acted out what was in my heart and did what I already wanted to do. My fellowship with him was broken at that moment, and I wasn’t repentant. I was mad and I’m ashamed to say, I don’t think I spoke to Benny the rest of that trip.
Just as God sought out Adam and Eve when their fellowship with Him was broken, He still seeks me out because He still loves me, even when I sin and hurt His heart. It is my heart that hides and covers and avoids the One who loves me most.
Today, LORD, I want to change the way You find me. I don’t want You to find me because I hide and cover. I want You to find me faithful. The song below is my prayer today…
FIND ME
I fall down upon the ground
Press my face against the earth
Till my heart it rises over my head
As the wheat it bows down low
When the autumn wind blows
I kneel before the One I love
CHORUS
Find me grateful
Find me thankful
Find me on my knees
Find me dreaming
Find me singing
Find me lost in Your grace
Like the dust that You first held
In a garden where You knelt
Pull me up against Your face again
Till the breath of Your hope
Fill the depths of my soul
Till all I know is I’ve been found by love
FIND ME
Cageless Birds
** Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24
P.S. After proofing this devo, Benny said he remembered my first word to him being, “I can’t believe you did that!” And we’re still laughing!
ON THE PORCH 