Beyond the Weekend: Spaces
Where does God meet us? Throughout Scripture, he meets his people in real places—mountains, deserts, seas, and the temple. Each place teaches us something about who he is. Join us for The Places Where God Meets Us, a six-week series exploring how these spaces point forward to Jesus, the one who meets us still.
The Garden Temple
Read: Genesis 2:8–17 | Listen: Genesis 2
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
Genesis 2:8
God speaks the earth into existence. It teems with life and beauty. In the beginning, God dwells with Adam and Eve in the garden, and heaven and earth meet in perfect union. Though God gives Adam and Eve work to do, their first responsibility is to know him and walk with him. They are to enjoy God and rest in him. This garden temple represents the core calling of life—to know and enjoy God. God also tasks Adam and Eve with extending the blessings and beauty of their life with him in the garden outward to the rest of creation.
We were made for God. This theme runs throughout the Bible’s story. The psalmists ache to know God, crying out, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1). Knowing and enjoying God is the highest calling of our lives. We can stay busy with many things and miss the heart of what life is all about. Like Adam and Eve, we fall short in this pursuit. Yet each day gives us an opportunity to know God more deeply and walk with him more faithfully.
TODAY: Embrace opportunities to think about and pursue God. Change the lock screen on your phone or set alarms to remind you of God’s presence. Challenge yourself every hour to slow down and reflect on the goodness of God. We were made to know and enjoy him in the ordinary moments of each day.
