Day #16 - Presence Lost

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash

What is it like to be in the place where God dwells?

It’s paradise. 

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been? For me it’s probably Maui or Kauai. But I also love to see the sunrises and sunsets in the Pacific Northwest coming up from or going behind the mountains. The multi-colored hills and cliffs of desert rock throughout southern Utah are also a pretty amazing sight to behold. But as far as a beautiful paradise, I guess I would have to say that the Hawaiian Islands take the cake for me.

Right there in the beginning of Genesis we learn about the place that God placed Adam and Eve. It is commonly known in our English Bibles as the Garden of Eden which is translated from Hebrew. But its interesting to note in the Greek version of the Old Testament called the Septuagint, which was the version the Jews read during Jesus’s day, this place was called Paradise.

When Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden they were banished from Paradise. We lost paradise when we lost “The Presence.” There are so many breath-taking locations left on this planet but nothing can compare to the Paradise where the first humans started their lives.

Dwelling with God is a piece of paradise restored. We look forward to the day where all things are renewed again. We ache for what we lost. A place to dwell with God that is untouched by the chaos, evil and darkness of sin. But getting to be near God and experience His presence gives us a measure of what we lost and what we look forward to in fullness one day.

We were not only made for God’s presence, we were made for the Paradise where God’s presence manifested. Life unhindered around the Divine presence was a life of untold beauty and bliss. Much has been lost without being able to live fully in His presence. To be banished from the presence of God in Paradise is the greatest lost that we could endure. We were made for more.

Father God, thank you for Your presence. May I never take for granted the measure of Your presence that I get to enjoy, even while lamenting that I was made for so much more. I was made for paradise. I long to experience what was lost so long ago. I long to experience the paradise where you dwell. Thank for every glimpse of your presence that I may enjoy. Your presence is paradise to me. In Christ’s name, amen.