I was the master of Hide and Seek. Every time I played with my sisters, I’d win. If I didn’t want to be found, they wouldn’t catch a glimpse of me until I decided to show myself. It probably helped that I was super skinny and could tuck myself into the smallest spaces. Because I loved quiet pursuits like reading and writing, I’d hide even when we weren’t playing.
Have you ever wondered if God plays hide and seek with mankind?
Or maybe just with you? Or, worse, that he’s simply hiding and not seeking?
This begs the question: does God hide himself?
If so, do we—feeble, frail, sinful humans—have any hope of finding him?
Acts 17:26-27 reveals something amazing about the eternal game of Hide and Seek. “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Did you catch that? From Adam he created us so we would seek him. God wants us to find him.
When I hid from my sisters, I didn’t want to be found, but God isn’t like that. Instead of tucking himself into the most obscure places where we’d never dream of looking, he hides in plain sight.
Do you want to see the God who is near?
God has given us clear directions for this search in his Word.
Seek with All Your Heart
Jeremiah 29:13 describes the first. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
When my sisters and I played Hide and Seek, they’d hunt with varying levels of enthusiasm. Some days they’d scour the yard like a pig hunting truffles. Other days they’d search as though they were looking for the ugly Christmas sweater from Aunt Gertrude. Sorry, Mom, I looked everywhere. Guess I’ll have to wear something else.
We approach our search for God in similar ways. Some people pursue him diligently. They frequent the places he frequents—Bible studies, churches, and faith communities. They read Bible-based books and listen to reputable teachers. They spend time in prayer, asking God to reveal himself.
Others expend minimal effort in their search. Well, I went to church—once—but nothing happened, so God must not be real. Or I’m a spiritual person, but I’ve never seen much value in reading the Bible. Or Yes, I attend church, but I’m too busy to get involved in Sunday school or a Bible study. They dabble at the shoreline instead of diving into the depths. They search half-heartedly rather than whole-heartedly.
Leave Sin at the Door
“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded,” James 4:8 declares.
The second direction God gives is to require us to be willing to leave our sin at the door. Notice I said be willing. I didn’t say get rid of all our sin, because we can’t do that on our own. Only God can. But until we’re willing to let God transform us, we seek with a serious handicap. Our sins act like a blindfold, preventing us from seeing God.
When my sisters and I played Hide and Seek, we never blindfolded the searcher. That would have doomed her to fail. Similarly, we can’t search for God while wearing the blindfold of sin. When we surrender our sin and allow God to change us, he takes away our blindness and shines his light on our path.
Respond in His Timing
The final direction God gives is this: It all begins and ends in his timing.
Isaiah 55:6 urges, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”
God doesn’t promise us tomorrow, but he gives us today. Right now. The One who hears his teammates searching flings the door open and yells, “Here I am! Come find me.”
If you’re looking for God today, I have good news for you. He’s scattered evidence of his presence everywhere.
He reveals himself through nature (Romans 1:20).
Through our conscience (Romans 2:14-15).
Through the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).
And mostly through Jesus Christ his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).
If we fail to find God, it’s not because he doesn’t want to be found. It’s because we don’t want to find him.
And what if you found God, but have wandered away?
He puts his arm around your shoulders and invites you back into the fellowship.
“When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you,” Deuteronomy 4:30-31 tells us, “then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you. “
What a promise.
God—the God of the universe—eagerly desires to reveal himself to us. In the life-changing, eternal search, God wants us to win.
Peaches, apple, pumpkin pie, who’s not ready, holler I.
The hunt is on.
You’re It.
Does Your Faith Need Refreshing?
It’s probably been too long since you’ve newly discovered a story that speaks to your soul or a verse that pops with truth. But that’s about to change!
Refresh Your Faith contains 66 culturally relevant, story-driven devotions, one from each book of the Bible. Each real-life story spotlights an unusual verse or Bible passage that you may have overlooked in your usual Bible reading. Lori Hatcher challenges you with additional features like an uncommon thought to ponder; an unusual faith action step; and an unfamiliar passage suggestion for additional Bible reading.
When the fabulous has become familiar and your quiet times are more like nap times, it’s time to step out of spiritual boredom and ignite the spark that will keep you growing. No matter where you are on your faith journey, Lori’s conversational and engaging style will challenge you to think about things you’ve never thought about before.
“Real-life inspiration and candid wit. These 5-minute devotions will change your life.” —Psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Kevin Leman, commenting on Lori Hatcher’s devotional style
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