WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

AT THAT TIME MEN BEGAN TO CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD. 

Genesis 4: 25-26; 5:21-24

This is the first time prayer is explicitly mentioned in the Bible. What is the significance of "at that time" Look at all that leads up to "that time." In four brief chapters we read that God created the heavens and earth and pronounce them "good." After he makes humans, the crown of his creation, in his own image, he pronounced all that he had made "very good."   But like a shattered mirror, God’s image is broken when these first people disobey him. The humans, Adam and Eve, have two sons: Cain and Abel. When Cain murders his brother, we see that the first offspring of God’s crowning creation is a murderer. It gets worse, Cain’s descendants follow in his footsteps. Soon we hear of a certain Lamech who intends to outdo Cain in malice. "If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times" (4:24).

Lamech will make Cain’s day seem like the good old days. Death and violence increase exponentially. Frederick Buechner observes this about the nature of sin. "The power of sin is centrifugal. . . .it tends to push everything out toward the periphery. Bits and pieces, go flying off until only the core is left…in the end nothing at all is left."

Nevertheless is a great grace word. So nevertheless, in spite of all that is going on in the world, God acts graciously and gives Adam and Eve another child to replace Abel; they call him Seth, which probably means "granted."  It’s at this time, with the line of Seth, that people begin to call on the name of the Lord.

There’s a saying, "When all else fails, read the directions." The impulse to pray is a little like that. So far, taking matters into their own hands has gotten everybody in trouble. Without the guidance of God, the earth becomes filled with violence and strife. People are more apt to see the need to pray when they see how great their needs are, when they run up against the hard edge of their own limitations. There’s not much we humans can do in our own name, but "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).

There is hope. Centuries (but only a few verses in the Bible) later, we read about a man of prayer named Enoch, who "walked with God" (Genesis 5:21-24).  Echoes of what was originally intended for all humankind reverberate, in those few words (see Genesis 3:8). In the fullness of time there will come another child of grace and communion with God will again be what it was supposed to be (see Ga4:4-5; Hebrews 4:14-16).

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/President/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

www.biblestoriestheatre.org