The law of location



“God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it.”   Ge 2:15 NIV

 

God created the Garden of Eden, placed Adam in it, and told him to “work it.” God said, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Ge 1:22 NIV). In other words, “Be successful.” But notice, there’s a definite sequence. First: God prepares a place for you. Second: He puts you in it. Third: He tells you to “work it.” Fourth: He says, “I want you to succeed.” This is called “the law of location.” You only flourish in the place where you belong, doing what God has called and equipped you to do. And you’ll have to work at it, so don’t expect it to be quick and easy. The law of location is evident throughout the Scriptures. After his life-changing encounter with God, we read, “Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared’” (Ge 32:30 NIV). That’s when God changed his name from Jacob, which means “deceiver,” to Israel, which means “a prince with God.” God spoke to the prophet Elijah in the middle of a famine and said, “Go at once to  Zarephath…I have directed a widow there to supply you with food” (1Ki 17:9 NIV). Eden was the place of fruitfulness. Penial was the place of radical change. Zarephath was the place of divine supply. Question: Are you in the place God wants you to be? If you’re not sure, talk to Him today. “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go” (Isa 48:17 NKJV).