The Cool of the Day

The cool of the day suggests the period of the day when we are free from our secular obligations and the usual demands placed upon us. It is a time of refreshment after a stressful day. The Lord God came to enjoy fellowship with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). Likewise, the Lord Jesus desires that we would spend at least a few moments of quiet fellowship with Him at the close of the workday. Do we grant Him and ourselves this brief season of joy?
Adam and Eve did not eagerly anticipate the cool of the day on one occasion, but rather sought to hide themselves. It was sin that had brought a lack of desire to meet the Lord. How often, during the course of the day, sin comes into our lives by means of thoughts, words, and actions. Instead of confessing it to the Lord at that time, we often immerse our energies in the responsibilities before us, resisting the tugs on our conscience. Then when the cool of the day arrives we are uncomfortable in the Lord's presence.
How often the enemy successfully comes in when our chores are completed to further occupy us with valueless pursuits. Perhaps these pursuits are not evil in themselves, yet they cause us to continue in a bad state of soul simply because we put off judging those sins we have allowed. This course only hardens our hearts further. We may even seek to correct our failures and make up for our errors by our own efforts rather than simply confessing them frankly and openly to the Lord. He stands ready to forgive and restore our souls (Psa. 78:38, 39).
When the Lord called "Where art thou?" Adam's response indicated he had a bad conscience. He then sought to transfer the blame for his failure to Eve and also to God Himself: "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me." How much better to honestly own, "I have sinned." Communion is then restored and we can once again enjoy the cool of the day.