Issue 743 – Hide and Seek – May 13, 2022
Growing up, we used to play hide and seek outdoors after dark. It added a new element to the game because hiding was much easier and seeking harder. The shadows and darkness gave terrific new places to remain hidden from view.
One time we played using flashlights. When the person who was “it” shone their light on you, you were out. That didn’t work as well because the person who was it would invariably shine their light everywhere in the hope of catching someone. They didn’t have to find you; they only had to get lucky with the flashlight.
After that one time, we went back to simple hide and seek in the dark. When playing in the darkness without a flashlight, it’s much easier to remain hidden from view.
Children aren’t the only ones who hide. Adults hide from Him all the time.
We can pretend to be more sophisticated than children by techniques such as denying He exists. I am convinced that it takes more faith to be an atheist than to believe.
We can hide behind intellectual arguments and the opinions of others. After all, “everyone knows there is no God.”
We can hide by deceiving ourselves about our righteousness and works. We all know someone we believe to be less righteous and a bigger sinner, so it doesn’t take much to convince ourselves of how “good” we are.
We can hide behind false pride that says we are too bad for even God to redeem.
Sometimes even as believers, we play hide and seek with God, only we don’t really want to be found. We don’t want to face Him with our sin, so we stay hidden in darkness and denial. We rationalize that if we remain hidden from Him, we don’t have to deal with our problems.
It is all as ineffective as a child closing their eyes and believing no one can see them.
The problem (and the blessing) is that there is no place to hide from God.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:7-16
It’s a problem because we can never really hide.
For the non-believer, that means a postponement of their judgement. Believers are forgiven but not forgotten.
The Lord knows that we need to deal with the issues in our life. He wants to bring us to a place of wholeness and holiness, so He will not allow us to hide forever.
There is pain in dealing with brokenness. There is great joy and freedom in oneness with Christ.
Are you hiding from Him? Turn back; He sees you anyway.
Until next time, rejoice that there is no hiding from God.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Spelling modified to Canadian English as required.
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