I HAD HAD IT!! I couldn’t take another “MOM!!!” or “But why?!!?”or “Where is my???” I don’t remember what stressed me out so bad that spring day. Maybe it was having three kids less than 4 years apart. Maybe it was the fact that Benny works 24 hour shifts and I had the kids alone. I can’t really tell you today what was so pressing, but God knew.
When I had reached my limit, I hid. I went to my van and laid down in the seat. It didn’t take long before the kids were outside looking for me. I could hear them walking around aimlessly and yelling, “MOM?!?,!” searching for their fearless leader. Eventually they found me. When I knew their backs were turned, I dried my eyes and sat up. All three of them had the most pitiful looks on their face when they realized that I was that close and hadn’t answered their cries. “How could you not hear us?? We were yelling.”
When we were recording Benny’s sermon the other day, my head shot up when he said, “God does not play hide-n-seek.” Three days before that I sent myself a note to remember to do a devo called “Hide-n-seek.” Seems God is working on both of our hearts on this matter.
The kids used to play a game in town at night called “cat-n-mouse.” The “cats” would be kids driving in cars, and the mouse would be a person on foot trying to get from one destination to another without getting caught. Benny was 100% right in his sermon when he said, “God does not play hide-n-seek. If He were the mouse in the game the kids played, He would stand in the middle of the street waiting to be spotlighted. If you were playing hide-n-seek in a football stadium, God would be on the 50-yard line in the middle of the field. If hide-n-seek was on a playground, He would be sitting on the top of the highest point, to be sure He is in plain sight of all.
Hide-n-Seek is a game literally as old as time. There are several instances of people in the Bible hiding…
Adam and Eve hid from God. (Genesis 3:8)
Gideon hid from the Midianites in a winepress. (Judges 6:11)
Jonah hid from God in the belly of a ship. (Jonah 1:3)
Hagar ran away and hid from Sarah. (Genesis 16:7-9)
David hid from King Saul. (1 Samuel 24:4)
BUT NOT ONCE DO YOU READ WHERE GOD HID FROM HIS CREATION, HIS PEOPLE. He has been available 24/7 since the beginning of time.
**The Lord says,
“I was ready to respond,
but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found,
but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘HERE I AM, HERE I AM!’
to a nation that did not call on My name.
All day long I opened My arms
to a rebellious people.
But they follow their own evil paths
and their own crooked schemes.
Isaiah 65:1-2
Even when the people rebelled and were not doing what He wanted, God never hid. He continued to stand with His arms open wide and wait.
Sometimes it can seem like God is far away or isn’t paying attention, but let me guarantee you, He is. He sees, He knows, and He waits. When we are going through hardships like all of us are now, He wants us to turn to Him. He waits to wrap us in His arms, dry our tears, and comfort us.
I only hid from the kids once, because it hurt their feelings so much. I still feel guilty. When I did not answer their cries, they started panicking. When they realized I was close and did not respond, they felt rejected and ignored. God will never put us in that situation.
When we are scared or overwhelmed, hiding is our natural response. Our fight or flight reflex kicks in, and we run.
At the moment, it seems the whole world is in hiding…in lockdown. When we are scared, or overwhelmed, or panicking, hiding is our natural response. In the past when I was depressed, I hid. I quit taking calls, answering texts, and did not have a desire to visit with my family as much as I normally did. I wanted to be alone, and satan wanted to keep me isolated. That is how he works. When we are alone, we hear his voice loud and clear. When we are in God’s presence and the company of other believers, satan’s voice fades into the background. In this time of isolation, it is easy to start backing away from others who are an important part of our lives, “hiding” if you will. But that isn’t the answer either. We must make a conscious effort to stay connected to others and to God.
No matter where you and I are physically and spiritually today, God is still there waiting with His arms open wide, just as He was for His people thousands of years ago. We do not have search aimlessly and cry out wondering where He went, if He will answer us, and when He will be back. Even if we are in hiding or isolation, HE IS NOT!
LORD, thank You for not throwing a fit as I did when I hid from the kids. Thank You for always being ready and willing to forgive us when we fall short or need Your comfort. Thank You for sending us Your love letter to reassure us of who You are and how much You love us. Thank You that there is nowhere we can go that You cannot reach and do not see. When we don’t feel like our prayers are going passed the ceiling, remind us that You bend down to listen to our wants, needs, and desires. In these times of turmoil, let us point others to where You stand out in plain sight with Your arms open wide. Amen
** But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29
** I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me. Proverbs 8:17
** You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
** Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24
OUT OF HIDING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkDqQtfs0w&list=RDXFkDqQtfs0w&start_radio=1
**If you would like to hear Benny’s sermon on Hide-n-Seek, please click the link below. If you wish to skip the beginning of the service and only view his sermon, skip to 11:52. 😊
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KfJH_OSmIw
ON THE PORCH 