Seek and Hide

“.. Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be, the slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees.. ”

            Think back.. When you were a kid, did you always have a certain place you went during a game of Hide & Seek?  Or maybe a special place you always ran to just to get away; maybe when you were sad, or to go yell and get it all out, or to play, hangout, just be.. ?  You know, that place you could go to where no one could find you, catch you, hurt you, and so on.  You might have called it your fort, hideout, getaway, or hiding place.  I couldn’t help but dwell on this concept for a bit.  I wonder why there was something so distinctive about that one place.  Why were we so eager to get to that one spot?  Why did we feel so complacent there?  Our ignorant minds as children led us to believe that place insulated us from the rest of the world.  We were so content there; we felt so fearless, powerful, rejuvenated, and zealous.  After coming back to the real world, we yearned for that next escape.

            In Mark 10:15 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (NIV)  I find this referring to having a childlike faith.  Relating this back to my analogy; as a child, we put an exceptional amount of faith in our hiding place.  We could have sat in that hideout all day and been satisfied with full trust that we were safe.  Bear with me, I promise I’m going somewhere with this.

            Picture this.. A 4-year-old boy in his hiding place, a tree house.  He hears his dad calling, “It’s getting dark and about to rain, so get back inside, please.  Don’t make me take your toys away!”  I can see the little boy laughing and saying, “It’s okay dad, nothing can hurt me; I’m in my tree house! BRING IT ON DARKNESS AND RAIN! You ain’t got nothing on my tree house.  And dad, you can have the toys; they don’t matter.  I’ve got all I need in this tree house!” – Don’t you hear it?  Such contentment, such faith, such fearlessness, all in a simple structure that he has no control over. 

            Now join me back in reality (whew!).  That’s exactly what God asks of us, right? This leads me to answer two questions:
1. What is your hiding place?
2. What’s the child and the tree house got to do with anything?

Well, thanks for asking!  Before I start to answer let me give you the definition of hiding.  This small, but incredible word means to seek refuge.  Remember that!

            Now to answer question one, I will start with what a hiding place should not be.  We should not hide in our family, friends, money, boyfriend, girlfriend, career, education, alcohol, drugs, love, etc.  The list could go on and on.  Basically, we should not be hiding in the things of this world.  I can promise you all of these things will fail you.   So many of us know that already, but so many times we find ourselves creeping back to our earthly hiding places.  On to describing the perfect hiding place – God, and His all-consuming presence. (Exodus 33:14, Psalm 9:3, 16:11, 31:20).  He is the one and only hiding place that will never fail you. (Hebrews 13:5, Isaiah 58:11, Deuteronomy 4:31, Joshua 1:5, Psalm 118:4-8),

            Any relevance to my previous story?  That’s just it; it has everything to do with that story.  God calls us to a childlike faith.  He wants us to be just like that little boy.  He wants us to come into His presence no matter how we’re feeling – get everything out, be content, zealous, rejuvenated by just being with Him.  He wants us to yearn for Him and His presence and know that absolutely nothing compares to Him.  Yet, unlike that little boy’s tree house, nothing can protect us better than the Creator of this universe (even against darkness and rain ha).  Ever wonder why you can worship and never want to stop? Or pray and never run out of things to say?  Or read your Bible and never want to put it down?  My friends, that’s a tiny glimpse of what His presence can do in and to us.

            He is my hiding place through the good and the bad, always there to share my joy and even my pain.  But there are times when I can’t help but want to run and fall into His presence.  When this world feels too heavy, when all my plans fall apart, when I don’t know what the next second will bring, when I feel too weak to go on – I can run into His presence, where His loving arms await me.  There I’m satisfied, having nothing, yet having it all, knowing a true peace that passes all understanding.  When the adversary says to you, “Here comes the cancer, the adulterous husband, the bills, the wreck, the gossip and on top of that let me take away your job, your parents, your friends, your home, your health, your money, and then some!”  We can reply with a smile on our face and say, “In God’s presence alone will I hide and be satisfied.  You can take it all! I’ve got all that I need in my God who can mend everything you break, give back everything you take, place me high where you take me low, make me strong when you’ve made me weak, give me wealth where you made me need, bring me life where you left me dead, and then some!”  Just like that little boy, we too can have a hiding place.  Some people spend their whole lives seeking out refuge in things of this world that will eventually fail them and cause them to lose in this game of life.  But once you’ve found that perfect place to hide in God, remain there forever and you’ll always win!

                          .. I guess it’s true, I am a little kid at heart!