Category: Hiding

John 3:19-21: This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Hiding in the dark is a human trait that started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They hid from the Lord among the trees of the garden and hid from each other behind big fig leaves.

It all began with a mistake they made. The second mistake was not to step into the light and be honest about it. I often wonder if the course of human history would have changed significantly if Adam and Eve had been bold enough to take responsibility for their wrongdoings. We will never know.

What we do know is this: Believing in God’s mercies, we step out of the darkness into His wonderful life-giving light. God is good and His mercies are new every morning. There is a chance of a new beginning for each one of us. Dare we believe?

When I visited my little niece and nephew in Germany a few years ago their favorite game was playing hide-and-seek. For some reason the oldest of children’s games is still quite popular. While playing games and hiding out is fun, a hiding God is not. Have you ever felt stuck in a situation wondering: “Where on earth is God?!” Welcome to the club of God-seekers!

We know the feeling of helplessness creeping in when nothing seems to work – especially after praying (sometimes viewed as the last resort). Frustrated, the psalmist here prays (Psalm 10:1):

“God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?” *Bible Version: The Message

We have to come to terms with the fact that not everything about our mysterious God is explainable. – And I believe that this is a good thing, even though it is perplexing us at times. We need to remember that God was here first; He preceded His creation; and since He has lived forever, His experience is simply beyond us. Bearing this in mind, can we appreciate His complexity?

Speaking of complexity, even human beings are hard to predict, although we are often tempted to do just that. We see certain behavior patterns, and then we jump to conclusions. If we seriously expect people to always behave the same way we will be quickly disappointed. People are known to be a wildcard. The 1993 American fantasy comedy film “Groundhog Day” plays off of that notion.  In an effort to create a perfect date for a special lady, one of the main characters in the movie tries to win the girl’s favor by memorizing all her likes and dislikes. Spoiler alert (if you haven’t watched this movie yet): it ain’t working!

If we cannot predict people much less can we predict the Lord.

Where does this leave us when we feel frustrated with God? I am a firm believer of venting in the privacy of the prayer closet. God won’t be offended by our emotional outbursts during these one-on-one sessions. And if venting to God prevents us from doing something stupid, then our prayers are already working.

God always listens to what we have to say, so if you are already praying, don’t give up just yet. Continue to seek Him out. And if you haven’t prayed, by all means, try it. Tell God how you feel. Be direct with Him. And as you pray, get ready for some curve-balls flying – because God is in the habit of answering prayers in most surprising ways.