Hide and Seek (Jeremiah 23:23-24)
“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”
– Jeremiah 23:23-24
Do you remember playing Hide and Seek as a child? Would you think before hiding or did you just run and as you were running, look for a place to hide. Children love to play Hide and Seek more than adults do. Why? I’m not completely sure, but maybe it’s because we can’t fit into the same hiding places we used to as children. Hiding as a 4 year old is definitely easier than hiding as a 40 year old.
As a child, I would sometimes hide, but not because I was playing a game. I would hide because I had done something wrong and I did not want to get into trouble. I would avoid my parents or teachers hoping that I would not get caught. Have you ever done that? It never worked for me because they would always find me! Still, I kept trying. What God is talking about here in Jeremiah 23 is that kind of hiding – He was not playing a game. The people of Israel were in trouble and God was getting ready to discipline them.
God was pretty upset with Israel in Jeremiah 23. He was hurt and angry because His people had rejected Him and were committing horrible sins even in the temple (v.11). The prophets were giving false hope to the people and telling them lies. God’s wrath was coming and when it did, there would not be any place where they could hide. Why? Because God created the world and everything in it. He knows every nook and cranny. There is not a single place on earth that He does not know about. God was warning them that they would not be able to get away consequences of their actions.
So, what should we do when we realize that we have sinned against God? Should we run and hide, hoping that He won’t find us, or should we acknowledge our sin and repent? We know that the first option is futile so we should choose to acknowledge our sin and repent. Repent means to turn around, to stop doing what you’re doing, and start doing the opposite. As a Christian, you will probably have times in your life when you don’t follow God like you know you should. When we don’t follow God, we have another decision to make: Do we continue to sin and justify our actions or do we repent and start obeying God? I pray you choose the latter.
God desires us to have a relationship with Him, and not just any kind of relationship. God wants us to have a close relationship with Him. He wants us to come to Him in all situations, no matter what. When we sin, God wants us to seek forgiveness and to not do it again. When we are living in obedience to God, we can experience that closeness with Him.
How would you describe your personal life at this moment? Are you living in such a way as to bring glory and honor to God, or are you living in disobedience, in a way that brings glory and honor to yourself? If your answer is the former, then keep up the good work and continue to follow His leading. If your answer is the latter, then it is not too late to repent. Remember, you can never hide from God.
– Pastor David Guenin