Message summary: We encourage you to hear and respond to God's voice today. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling!

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"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. But the Lord God called to man, 'Where are you?'" (Genesis 3:8,9). "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). "Today, if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:7,15; 4:7).

We enjoy many interesting sounds of life out here in the country. Each morning about 7:00am a farmer neighbor rides by on the way to the farm he inherited from his parents on a three-wheel motorcycle along with his wife sitting behind him. Not your typical looking farmer, he's a large man with a long gray beard blowing in the wind. He fits more the image of a Harley guy than a farmer! But we both like the sound since it demonstrates diligence andresponsibility.

We hear many sounds somewhat unique such as the clickety-clack of a horse and buggy slowly passing by our home. We often hear the distinct rumble of cars passing over the horizontal boards in a covered bridge, farm machinery working in a field, wind and rain splattering on the metal roof of our small barn, the neighborhood woodpecker persistently pecking away at the creaking tree.

Early in the morning we especially like to hear the birds singing. The most dominant evening sound we hear, during this late summer season, is the locusts. I think they're in competition with all of nature to be the loudest!

There are special sounds wherever you live, sounds that you become familiar with and perhaps even take for granted, barely noticing them. Hopefully there are enough pleasant sounds to drown out all the undesirable noises!

Let us consider today's text which happened shortly after Adam and Eve's first sin. "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the garden". Have you ever wondered what God sounded like as He walked in the Garden of Eden?  Apparently Adam and Eve had become familiar with this distinct sound and recognized it.

Prior to the Fall it was a sound they surely cherished, but now they were attempting to hide. That distinct sound, which once brought joy and anticipation, now brought shame and dread. What a difference sin makes!

The very first recorded words of God following the Fall were, "Where are you?"  God, whose very nature is to "seek and save that which is lost", called out, while Adam and Eve sought to hide. But their hiding was futile.

Thus begins the grand story of God's redeeming love, what Bible teacher W. Graham Scroggie calls "The Unfolding Drama of Redemption" which runs through the Bible. He writes,

Today God continues to call out. If you listen you will hear His voice. Three times the writer of Hebrews quotes an Old Testament Psalm, "Today, if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts" (3:7,15; 4:7). We encourage you to respond to His voice today. Do not harden your heart. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling!

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber