So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

Genesis 2:21-23

EVE

Eve

Her Name: Means “life-giving” or “Mother of All Who Has Life.”

Her Character: She came into the world at peace with God and Adam, the other person on the planet. She possessed every pleasure imaginable and never knew the meaning of embarrassment, misunderstanding, hurt, envy, bitterness, grief, or guilt – until she listened to her enemy Satan and began to doubt God.

Her Sorrow: That she and her husband were banished from The Garden of Eden and that her first son Cain was a murderer and her second son Abel, his victim.

Her Joy: That she had once tasted paradise and that God promised her offspring would eventually destroy her enemy.

Praying With Eve

So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God, He created them; male and female, he created them.

– Genesis 1:27

Praise God: Because He created you in His image, making you a woman capable of reflecting His love, truth, strength, goodness, wisdom, and beauty.

Offer Thanks: That imbedded in God’s judgment of Adam and Eve in the promise of a Redeemer who will crush the head of our enemy.

Confess Your tendency to mar God’s image in you by preferring your will to His.

Ask God: To help you surrender your life to Him so that he can fulfill His purpose for creating you.

Lift Your Heart

Find a peaceful setting, surrounded by the beauty of creation, to meditate on what life must have been like in the Garden of Eden. Think about what your life would be if you experience peace in all your relationships, if you never suffered physical or emotional pain, if you were never confused or ashamed or guilty, if you constantly share God’s love and friendship. Let your imagination run riot as it fills the details of God’s original intention for your life and those you love. Then consider this: You were made for paradise. The joys you taste now are tiny compared to those that await you in heaven.

Father, give men a greater understanding of your original plan for our world. Help me to envision its beauty so that I might live with a constant awareness that you intend to restore paradise to all who belong to You. May I surrender every sin and every sorrow to You, trusting that You will fulfill your purpose for my life.