Remember playing Hide and seek as kids? You know the rules,
1 Kid was the seeker and counted to 10 with his eyes closed. Meanwhile the
others would go hide. The seekers job was to find them before they made it back
to base. We played in a large cemetery near my house which made it even more
challenging as well as spooky.
Throughout the Bible, mankind has played Hide and Seek with
God, especially me. In the Garden of Eden, after the apple incident, Adam and
Eve felt shame and tried to hide from God. Peter hid from Jesus after denying
him 3 times. I hid from God for many years because I was afraid of Love.
Growing up, Love was not a big priority in my family so when later in life,
love was expressed to me. It scared me and I would run and hide.
We hide for many reasons, and we hide behind things like wealth,
fame, popularity, addictions and pain. I used to hide under my bed thinking, if
my Dad didn’t see me, he couldn’t punish me. We try to drown out or cover up our sins,
thinking…”If I don’t think about my sin, am I really sinning?” The pain and
depression of this way of thinking is, we hide ourselves from God, limiting God’s
work in our lives.
Of course, we can’t hide from God but we can limit him.
Jeremiah 23:24 "Can anyone hide in secret places so
that I cannot see him? Declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth?
God is Omnipresent, we can’t hide from him. We can hide in
God though and he will protect us
Psalm 32:5-7 "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did
not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the
LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone
who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters
rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me
from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."
When David confessed his sins, God forgave him and
protected; soothed and delivered him. David hid in the Lord. When we hide in
God we lose our fears and gain comfort in him.
When my son and I played Hide and Seek and if I was the
seeker, I dramatically would search for him saying, now where can he be? My son
always seemed to hide in the same spot every time but I would purposely not
find him. I’d open the closets, look
under the bed, and look in the toilet stating, “Wow, he is such a great hider!”
Eventually, after passing his usual hiding spot, he would come out of hiding and
jump into my arms.
You see, that’s how we play the game. We come out of hiding
and jump into or father’s arms…where it’s safe!
God, our Father is Base!
