God Speaking

“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”” (Genesis 3:9)

Hide and seek has been a favourite game for children all down through the ages. We have a little grandson who is just beginning to understand the fun of this game, although he is still at the stage of Peek A-Boo and still peeks through his fingers to make sure we are still there even though he thinks his face is hidden, he loves one of us to hide behind a piece of furniture and then to pop out and surprise him. The delight of this game for all children, is the fact that all the participants will be eventually found and nobody wants to stay hidden for very long. Mostly the fun exists in the shrieks that erupt as the hidden ones are found.

As we grow up hiding from others and in particular, hiding from God, hiding takes on a far different meaning from the hide and seek game so gleefully played by children. Sometimes we are so cleverly hidden others are unable to see our inward feelings/our hurts/our fears/our desperate need for someone to understand us. Some of us feel that we must at all costs hide from God. Not believing that he could love us if he truly saw us. Preferring to stay in the dark rather than risk walking in his pure light, where nothing is hidden

The first people to hide from God were Adam and Eve.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8)

God did not allow them to stay hidden;

“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9)

Sin had forced man to go into hiding. God immediately put into operation a plan to allow all mankind to be forgiven, so in the future, there would be no need to hide from God’s presence. God does not stay hidden from us either. Over and over again he assures us that he can be found;

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

God continues to cry out to all his children, “Where are you?”

We tell over and over again a sweet story about one of our daughters who was only two at the time when she wandered a short distance from a cabin where we were staying, and suddenly looked around and did not see any other people around her. We were still able to see her, but she cried out in fright, “I’m losting. Somebody find me”. Perhaps that might be the same story for some to know the terrible feeling of “losting”, but not knowing that our Lord and Saviour is always at hand, always ready to lead the lost one to a safe place. Our little girl knew that close by was her family, any “losting” ones can take heart that Jesus is always close at hand.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

We might be hiding deliberately or we might feel so lost nobody will find us, but the beautiful promise from our Heavenly Father is the same. All we need do is to look for him. He is easy to find. In fact he is looking for us. He is seeking the hidden ones.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:4)