It’s one thing to trust the Lord; it’s another to act on that trust.

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I’ve often heard it said that trusting the Lord isn’t praying for rain but taking an umbrella.  We can express trust in the Lord all we want, but do we act on it?  Do we move forward with confidence in Him?

These were the same issues facing the first human family in the book of Genesis.  Would Adam and Eve act on their trust in the Lord or not?

We continue today in Genesis 4:1-2.

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.  She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. 
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

Genesis 4:1-2 New International Version

Whereas Genesis 3 ends with sin, brokenness, and death, Genesis 4 opens with life, hope, and birth.  What a contrast!

The name “Cain” sounds like the Hebrew word for “acquired” or “brought forth,” and Eve indeed gave God credit for His help in the very first human birth.  She had no doctor, nurse, or midwife to assist.  She had no mother or sister who had gone through this before.  She was the first.

Eve credits the Lord for His help and makes a statement reminding us that life comes from God.  Cain’s life was a gift from the Lord.  And with the Lord’s help, Eve has brought forth (“cained”) another man.

Then Abel was born to her as well.  Abel’s name means “breath.”  In a sad foreshadowing, his name is a reminder that life is brief.

Verse 2 ends simply, “Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.”  The firstborn to the first couple, Cain, took up Adam’s role as a farmer, while Abel was a shepherd.

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We stop today before the next part of the story unfolds.  The Lord’s promise in Genesis 3 is starting to come true: Eve will be the mother of all the living.  She has children, and Adam and Eve are starting to populate the Earth.

As I’ve been saying through Genesis 3, there is hope even in the middle of the Lord’s judgment.  Today, we’re already seeing the hope becoming a reality.

Adam and Eve didn’t just express trust in the Lord.  They acted on it.  They dared to keep going and believe the Lord when it wasn’t easy.

When life seems so terrible, saint, remember the transition of Genesis 3 into Genesis 4: there is always the Lord’s purpose.  Trust His purpose.  Trust His process.  Trust Him.  And act on it.