It was man’s first day on earth and God wasted no time at all.
Summoning the animals, God instructed Adam to name what he encountered. The ensuing exercise would go on to become one of the greatest scenes in all human history: God sitting alongside man, smiling: an afternoon lesson, a planet’s worth of animals, and not a distraction in the world. Can you imagine? And to think, God spoke His words into animals, but here He invites man to speak the animals back into words. It’s an amazing exchange when you think about it.
It is even more amazing is when you consider this exchange is an exercise that reoccurs between God and man every single day. In your case, it goes as follows: From the moment you wake up to the minute you fall asleep, God parades before you a wild variety of figures, shapes, circumstances, opinions and ideas. He invites you to name whatever you see, and He gives you full liberty in the naming department. You wake up in the morning and choose to name what you see “a day the Lord has made.” Or, maybe you choose to name it “another God forsaken Monday morning.” You next come upon something you identify as “my quiet time with the Lord.” Or, maybe you identify this as “my time to catch up on the headlines.” Later, you choose to name a certain something “miraculous.” Then again, maybe you name it “mere coincidence.” For this person, you name “a child of the King,” or, maybe you name him “a democrat” or “a republican.” The parade continues. Maybe others like to name this next one “Christian hypocrisy,” but you name it “the way God challenges me to love.” Note that whatever name you choose, that is its name (Genesis 2:19). And the progression goes on, day after day: one encounter passes by and the next encounter rises up. On and on, again and again, you name and God listens.
The depth of this exercise is more than meets the eye. It is intended to be an introduction to the life that is hidden within you. Just look at Adam. Adam is told it is not good that man is alone. What happens next? Is Eve revealed right away? No, she is not! Instead, God parades the whole animal kingdom in front of him and invites the man to name each creature he sees. In them he finds no suitable helpmate, but at least the concept of a helpmate becomes more clear as each kind passes by.
Finally a deep sleep comes over him. He awakens to that which was hidden within him. In like manner, it goes that once the parade is over and you have completed the exercise, a deep sleep will come over you. Upon waking from it, what used to be concealed within will then be revealed in full.
Oh and by the way, “...the kingdom of God is within you.”
Oh and by the way, “...the kingdom of God is within you.”
