Animal Parade

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis1:31). However He identified a flaw. “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).

Only one imperfection could be found in God’s creation…man was alone. Our God has always been in relationship. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one, in perfect fellowship. Man was created for relationship with God but God intended for Adam to experience fellowship with a helpmate also. So God would rectify the ”not good.”

However, God did something interesting before He created Adam’s companion. Genesis 2:19-20 tells us that God brought every animal and every bird to Adam so he could name them.

With creating comes authority. The person who creates a piece of art gets to name his artwork. The writer gets to name her book. Parents have the right to name their newborn baby. A birth mother who places her baby in the arms of adoptive parents passes on her authority to name the newborn child to the new parents.

In this story, God gave His right to name His created animals and birds to Adam.

Surely this story is more than an awkward insertion. God declared that man needed a helper…an animal parade takes place…then God creates woman. I am convinced the addition has been aptly placed so that leads me to ponder.

Adam couldn’t have known that there was something missing in his life. Maybe it took a multitude of animals paraded in front of him, two by two, for him to ask, “Why isn’t there someone like me?” The giraffes, while they had slight physical differences, were paired together. The birds each had a companion. All the animals had a mate. Perhaps his assignment of naming the animals caused Adam to ask, “Where is my companion?”

Perhaps…and I recognize I am reading into the story…God wanted man to fully appreciate who He was about to bring into Adam’s life. Perhaps He wanted Adam to yearn for a companion before he received his gift. Perhaps God wanted Adam to recognize that he had a need. I do not know what God was thinking but I know what He was planning. And it was very good!

It is entirely probable that God works in our lives, waiting for us to fully recognize our need before He provides. Quiet times of honest introspection could open our eyes to our personal need for peace or healthy relationships. Maybe we might recognize that we are trying to do too much by ourselves and we need help. Maybe we will acknowledge that we are weary of living this life without knowing God.

Our needs differ but God knows them. The questions are, “Do we recognize them? Have we admitted them?” Once we do, we can be patient because God has been patient with us. He delights in providing for our needs. He appreciates our gratitude. He’s good. He’s wise. He’s loving.

Thoughts to ponder:

Do I trust that God knows my needs better than I do?

Will I spend some time considering my deepest needs?

Am I patient with God’s timing and provision?