Hide N Seek

When I was little we played hide n seek.  I’m sure most of you have done the same.  One person would lean against a tree and cover their eyes and counted to 25, while everyone else ran and hid.  In this game the seeker would yell out, “Ready or not here I come.” when they completed their counting.  They then would hunt down those hiding and upon spying one of them would yell out “Olly, olly, Oxen free!” which signifies to all other hiders that someone has been found.  Of course over time there have been variations to the game but the basic principles remain the same.  It was a great game to play with the neighborhood kids on those cool summer evenings just before dark.  We would play for hours as children.

As adults now, I wonder how many of us are still playing that game with God.  How many of us are waiting for Him to yell out “Ready or not here I come”.  We live our lives as if He isn’t aware of our actions, words, emotions and feelings.  Adam and Eve hid in the garden after committing the original sin, (Genesis 3:8-9) “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. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?””

Where can one go to hide from God?  As the Creator and Sovereign Lord, is He not omnipresent.  In Jeremiah 23, God is telling of the last days and the coming Messiah and tells us; (Jeremiah 23:23-24) ““Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? “Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord”

God does not seek you in your hiding place for He knows all things, and knows where you are at all times.  In the bar, in the hotel room, in the brothel, in the street, at work, at play, at school and at home.  There is nowhere to hide from the Lord, neither can we hide our thoughts, words or actions.  Omniscient means He knows all things.  That means ALL things, even those hidden secrets that your mother and your spouse don’t know.  David tells us in (Psalm 139:7-10)
“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.”

All of your life you have been running from God, hiding your inner thoughts, your sinful nature, your inexcusable lies and actions.  Do you not realize that He already knows of these things.  Confessing them to Him, and acknowledging to Him that you were wrong and that you are sorry, opens the door for true forgiveness and redemption.  It’s an act of humility and acceptance that He is God and only He can wash away the stains of iniquity in your life.  Hiding behind the sin of this life will only keep you from truly embracing His love and purpose for you.

If God were to call out to you, “Ready or not here I come” would you then not pick yourself up, clean yourself off and prepare for His arrival.  He is coming, but He will not be yelling out beforehand.  The scriptures tell us, “He will come like a thief in the night.”  Be prepared my friends, confess your unrighteousness before the Lord, so that you are ready when the Son returns and judges the world.