🕊️ PRAY HERE DEVOTION 🕊️ Sin Brings Shame

Scripture: Genesis 3:8 (NIV)

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Devotion: Have you ever hidden from your parents after doing something wrong? I know I have. I would try my best to avoid them because of guilt, shame, and fear. Most of the time, we already know when we’ve done wrong. That inner conviction makes us uncomfortable, and instead of facing it, we avoid the very people, and places, that would help us do right. We avoid church. We avoid truth. And yes, we avoid God.

This is one of the many ways sin separates us from our righteous God; we hide from Him.

That is exactly what Adam and Eve did. After they sinned, they hid. Their sin was disobedience. God had given them everything they could ever need, but He gave one instruction: do not eat from that one tree. Knowing what God told them and realizing they had messed up, shame set in. Fear of the consequences made them hide.

Like many of us today, they didn’t yet understand that you cannot hide from God. He is omnipresent. He sees all and knows all.

In Genesis 3:9, after they hid, God called out to Adam and asked, “Where are you?” God already knew where Adam was. That question was not for God; it was for Adam. God was prompting him to acknowledge his sin and his spiritual condition. He was giving Adam an opportunity to confess, repent, and make things right; without condemnation.

If you have sinned, or if you are intentionally living in sin right now, you don’t have to hide from God. Shame tells you to run, but love invites you closer. God loves you, wants to forgive you, and desires to restore your relationship with Him.

Don’t hide from God. Don’t run from Him. Run to Him.

That’s where healing begins.

God bless you.

Prayer: Father God, forgive me for the times I have hidden from You because of guilt or shame. Help me to run to You instead of away from You. Thank You for loving me enough to call me back when I am lost. Cleanse my heart, restore my relationship with You, and help me walk in obedience and truth.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.