Covered in Grace
“And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” ~ Genesis 3:21
Genesis 3 is where we read about the fall of man, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin entered the world. But tucked inside this chapter of heartbreak is a beautiful picture of grace. After Adam and Eve failed, hid, and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, God came looking for them. He didn’t ignore their sin, but He didn’t abandon them either. Instead, He made garments from animal skins to clothe them, covering their shame with His care and provision.
This verse always touches something deep in me. Recently, in my own life, I too felt exposed and ashamed after a setback I experienced, one I blamed on a personal shortcoming. I felt insecure in my worth and uncertain if I had missed God’s path, or if He even still had a purpose for me. I tried to “cover” my mess with a packed schedule, over-performing, and acting like everything was fine. But deep down, I felt like Adam and Eve, hiding, hoping no one would see how far I had fallen short.
It was during a quiet moment in prayer with my heavenly Father that I remembered His response to Adam and Eve. He didn’t leave them in their shame. Like a loving Father, He covered them. That word “covered” was everything to me. It reminded me that God’s response to failure isn’t rejection; it’s redemption. He covers us, not because we deserve it, but because He is full of love and empowering grace.
That’s not all He did that day in the garden. God didn’t just clothe them, He made a promise. Right there in the middle of judgment, He revealed a plan to take care of sin once and for all. He would one day send His only Son to pay the price, so His family could walk in freedom again. That moment was the first whisper of the Gospel. The enemy would strike, but the Savior would crush his head. From the very beginning, God’s response to sin wasn’t just punishment—it was provision. A covering, a promise, and a Redeemer.
Maybe you feel that way too, like you’ve messed up too much, wandered too far, or disappointed God too deeply. Maybe you’re still trying to “sew fig leaves” by hiding behind performance, perfectionism, or self-protection. But God sees you. And He still comes close. He still covers. Not with leaves, but with something far greater, His own righteousness through Jesus.
Here are some practical ways you can begin walking in this truth:
- Stop hiding—start talking to God.
When you mess up, don’t run away from God. Run to Him. Be honest in prayer and trust that His grace is greater than your guilt.
Write a short prayer confessing your struggle or shame. Invite God into it and ask Him to cover you with His love. - Let go of false coverings.
Fig leaves might look like perfectionism, control, or denial. Identify what you’ve been using to “cover” your flaws and exchange it for God’s grace.
Say aloud: “I don’t have to hide. God sees me and still chooses to cover me.” - Receive His forgiveness daily.
Grace is not a one-time gift, it’s daily bread. Let God remind you that you are forgiven, loved, and not defined by your past.
Each morning, say: “I am covered by God’s grace today. I walk in forgiveness and freedom.” - Cover others with grace.
Just like God covered Adam and Eve, we’re called to extend grace to others. Be quick to forgive, slow to judge, and ready to love, especially those who are hurting.
Today: Reach out to someone who may be walking through shame or regret. Offer a kind word, prayer, or just your presence.
Today I want to encourage you to stop hiding and start receiving. Your mistakes don’t disqualify you from God’s love, they invite you to experience it more deeply. He doesn’t leave you in your shame. He covers you in His mercy. You are not defined by what went wrong; you are defined by the One who made it right. Let Him clothe you in grace today and trust that the plan He made in the garden still covers you now.
Today’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 3
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.
21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.
24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Journal Prompt:
- Where am I still trying to cover my own shame or failure?
- What would it look like to fully receive God’s covering grace in that area?
The Daily Dose 