Genesis 2:8. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Have you ever been told to put something away? Likely, if and when mom or dad said that to you, they meant to put it away where it belongs. Back on the correct shelf. In the right drawer. In the closet that it came from. In your backpack. In the fridge.
As we’ve already seen from Genesis 1, God did not create us randomly, without purpose. He didn’t make us on a whim to be his little play things. He made us to image him, then he put us exactly where he wanted us, in a very specific place – a garden in Eden.
In Genesis 2:8 it says that God put the man (Adam) in the Garden of Eden. Why did God put Adam there? Because that is where he belonged. Adam didn’t belong in the desert, or in the ocean, or in the north pole. He belonged in the garden so that he could take care of it as a king, with Even as his queen (see Day 7).
This little word, put, is all over the Old Testament. God is always putting the right things where they belong. The Bible says that he puts the right people in power. He puts mercy and justice into places. He even puts himself into the presence of people. God always puts everything exactly where he needs it to be in order to accomplish his perfect plan.
Where has God put you? Make no mistake you are not in the place you are randomly. God has placed you in the exact family where you belong. God put you in your town, your school, your church, and your neighborhood just like he put Adam in the garden in Eden.
When God put the first man in place, it was the perfect place for him. The garden God put Adam in was planted by God himself. It was a garden in a place called Eden, which literally means pleasure or happiness. God didn’t put Adam in the worst possible place, or even a mid-level place. He put him in the best place on Earth.
Do you believe that God has put you in the perfect place for you? Or do you constantly wish you could be somewhere different of better?
Of course it’s true that, because of the fall, the perfect Garden of Eden is gone. Everywhere and anywhere we live is far from perfect. There is no perfect family, or school, or church, or neighborhood. No perfect job, or team, or country. So it makes sense that we would always be looking for somewhere better to be. A better house, a better school, a better neighborhood, a better church, even a better country.
But what is also true is that, in a very real way, the Garden of Eden has been out into us. When we trust in Jesus to save us, we receive his life giving presence. That’s what made the garden so perfect, not the trees and animals, but the fact that God was there too. And with Jesus we know that God is always with us, no matter where we are.
We must believe that nothing about where we are in this life is a mistake. We have been put by God where we are for our good and his glory. Wherever God has put you, he is with you. Wherever you are, that is your Garden of Eden. Your little corner of God’s world to take care of, spreading the love of Jesus until he comes again.
Questions: Name all the places God has put you? Are any of these a mistake? How can you plant seeds of Jesus’ love in your “garden” today?
TLICfamily 