no suitable helper was found

“The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was found no helper fit for him.” Ge 2:20

Bruce Waltke, commenting on this verse, says the following:

“Why does God determine that it is not good for Adam to be alone and then give him animals? Should he not have given the woman first? In fact, Adam must realize that it is not good to be alone. Rather than squandering his most precious gift on one who is unappreciative, God waits until Adam is prepared to appreciate the gift of woman.”

Genesis: A Commentary, 89.

As many of you know, the past few months have been very trying and difficult for me in many ways. God has seen fit to allow me to go through this time, but there are many days that are brutal and it takes everything within me to keep moving forward. I fail far more than I succeed and more than ever before, I know the depth of my own sin and unworthiness apart from Christ.

Three years ago I had a dream. I was going to go to seminary, find a wife, have children, pastor a church, and live a life that was devoted solely to Christ. I had it figured out. This is what God had for me and nothing could stop it. Two years later, I find myself back in WV, half-way done with seminary, single, and spiritually broken in many ways. I admit, it’s difficult to see where God is taking this, but as a Christian we are called not to question God but live by faith and patiently wait for him to provide and deliver. God uses these times to test us and to see if our faith is genuine or merely spurious and circumstantial. But, that said, it is anything but easy.

I recently began making my way through Genesis and today I was studying the second chapter. The quote above really spoke to me as I meditated on the gift of woman. I think in many ways, this hit too close to home. Looking back, I wish I knew then what I know now. I believe that many of the trials I’m currently going through are for this very purpose. I’ve always had a fear of being alone, but I don’t think that I truly had a grasp on how precious it is to have a woman in your life that loves, supports, and cherishes you. Unlike Adam, I chose to squander this gift and was not prepared to receive this precious and valuable gift. I hope that I never have to go through the pain of losing someone I love ever again and like Adam I will be prepared to appreciate, cherish, sacrifice, protect, nourish, and hold this woman close to my heart. This is not the path I would have chosen, but I still have faith in a God who redeems our losses and heals our pain and wounds. He is gracious and merciful and whatever He ordains is for His glory and I must bear this Cross for however long He sees fit! After all, life’s circumstances are merely the furnace in which we are forged into the shape of Christ by the blows of loss and trials. I know that at some point relief and rescue will come, but for now I press on losing more faith in myself each day as I seek to place all my faith in Him.