Trusting God’s Boundaries - Gardens: Evergreen Faith in a Trustworthy God

“Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.” (Genesis 2:8, NLT)

“Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31, NLT)

Intentional gardeners celebrate and share the fruits of their labor.

That’s what God did with his garden project in Eden too. He intentionally planted a garden and then celebrated what he’d cultivated, calling his creations good. Do you know what God called very good? Adam and Eve—because they were made in God’s image. Together they were meant to reflect God’s glory, to be his vice-regents on earth, and to care for and cultivate everything God had created.

The problem is, instead of living up to their cultural mandate, Adam and Eve pursued wisdom apart from God. The garden project they were supposed to cultivate failed epically. Everyone and everything suffered because Adam and Eve refused to wait for God’s wisdom.

We see Adam and Eve’s story repeated again and again within the whole human condition. The Garden of Eden is more than a historical location; it also shows us the patterns of our lives and the state of the human soul. And it’s where God planted the first seeds of our redemption.

The story set in the Garden of Eden shows us that God can be trusted. And it will help us trust God more. Trust the good Gardener’s cultivation skills. And enjoy the way God celebrates the work of his hands. The way God celebrates us, the apple of his eye.

The man and woman, created as God’s image bearers, reflect God’s unity and diversity. Both the man and the woman are given these blessed tasks. Both are deputized as God’s working agents on earth. Both are needed. Both are important.

Do you remember how God called Adam and Eve very good? Before God created Eve, he said that Adam without Eve was not good. The first chapter of Genesis has already told us why: Adam and Eve are equally called, equally responsible, to work together. Their shared power grab led to epic disappointment—paradise lost and potential squandered. Many of us recognize that feeling. Our lives feel like the Garden of Eden, brimming with potential but suffering the consequences of sinful choices. And yet, just as he did in Eden, God wants to be near to us. He comes to us again and again—through Eden, the Tabernacle, the Temple, and, ultimately, the New Temple of Jesus.

For man and woman alike, God makes a way toward us. No matter how far we wander, he is near.

Read: Genesis 1–3

Prayer:

Dear God, I want to believe that I would have listened to your voice in the Garden, but the truth is that I so likely would have listened to the voice of the serpent. Thank you for making a way toward me despite my wandering heart. Help me to cling to your truth and love the places you create for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.