You make known to me the path of life;
in Your presence there is fullness of joy
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 ESV
Series: Games People Play
Ready or not, here I come! The game Hide and Seek has been around for generations. I played it when I was a child and today I am playing it with my grandkids. Being an adult participant gives me a new-found perspective, and I have made some amusing observations. Kids seem to like “hiding” more than “seeking.” The younger ones hide in the same places, perhaps hoping to be found quickly. In fact, if I take too long to find them, they might just pop out of their place and say “Here I am!” The older ones hide in more challenging places harder to discover, not wanting the seeker to find them and reveal their secret place.
Which do you prefer, the hiding or the seeking? If you are hiding, you wait in the darkness for someone to find you and free you from the uncomfortable position you are in. When waiting too long, you may wonder if someone will ever find you. If you are seeking, there is the uncertainty of where to look. There are so many places you might search out. What are the boundaries? Is there a time limit?
Just like the object of this game is to hide well or seek thoroughly, we may do these very things in our faith walk. When we are struggling with shame, guilt, or fear, we may try to flee from God’s presence. We might run from God because we don’t like what He’s asking us to do. The longer we hide, the more lost we feel. God’s word tells us that no matter how hard we try, we cannot escape His presence.
“Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?” Psalm 139:7 (ESV)
Before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, Genesis 2:22 tells us the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. After they disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:8-9 (ESV) tells us they did this because they felt shame.
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
God knew exactly where they were, and He didn’t leave them in their hiding place.
In the Book of Jonah, we read about how the Lord called Jonah to go to Ninevah and call the people out for the evil they were doing. Jonah was not willing to be obedient to the Lord.
“But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:3 (ESV)
On the Journey, as God hurled the winds and stirred up the seas, the ship threatened to break apart. Verse 5 tells us Jonah climbed down to the inner part of the ship and fell fast asleep. Jonah went in the opposite direction the Lord was leading him. He tried everything to conceal himself and maneuver away from God. Still, he couldn’t hide from God’s presence.
The Lord wants you to seek Him with all your heart. If you find yourself tempted to hide, reflect on the following scriptures that encourage you to seek Him.
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)
“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)
There are many things we can seek, but God invites us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. In His presence, we find peace and joy. Unlike the game of Hide and Seek, our goal isn’t to find the best hiding place. Instead, the reward is in the finding, and that reward is Him!
Holding Fast to Hope,
Linda
Scripture References: Psalm 16:11; 139:7; Jonah 1:3; Genesis 3:8-9; Jeremiah 29:13; Lamentations 3:5; Matthew 7:7-8, 6:33