No Hide-and-seek

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” (Ps 9:10 AV)

There was a game we used to play with one of our dogs.  My son, Zack, was really good at it.  This same game he played with his little children.  We have all played this game from time to time.  Hide-and-seek followed by a chase.  With a dog or a child, there is no need to use the neighborhood.  All one needs is a single floor of a house with plenty of doors and furniture.  The dog or child loves to be chased.  He or she will come to find you and then run off as you chase them.  As the distance grows greater, the chaser hides and the game starts all over again.  Either the dog or child can be entertained for hours.  Usually, Zack would tire and the game would end.  The point was, no matter how well he hid, the seeker sought until he was found.  The chase was on.  Giggles or wagging tails were abundant.  There was no greater joy this little one received than finding his or her daddy behind a door, under a table, or behind the couch.

Sometimes, we feel no matter where we look, God cannot be found.  To find Him requires two things.  A clean heart and faith.  He will not be found of one whose heart is not right with Him.  If we seek forgiveness, then He will be found.  Psalm chapter five, in verses four and five, teach us that God cannot dwell with iniquity.  As long as we harbor sin in our hearts, He is far from us.  The other condition of being found is in our passage.  Those that seek Him, trusting in His name, are the ones who find Him.  Faith is so important.  One might say that faith is the most important of all.  It is with faith that we please Him.  Without it, we cannot please Him (Heb 11:6).  The promise to never forsake us is a sure one.  God is always there.  As long as we walk humbly with Him and seek Him with eyes of faith, He is always there.  This is the promise of Ps 9:10.

When Zack would play hide-and-seek with a chase, sometimes there was only one way to end it.  That dog or child never gave up.  It didn’t matter where he hid, they would look and look.  Especially the dog.  He could pick up Zack’s scent and knew he was somewhere in the house.  He would look all over until Zack was found.  The only way to end the game was for Zack to run out into the garage.  The dog or child would look and look.  That is until they came to the conclusion he could not be found.  They lost faith in ever finding him.  Sometimes, Zack had to disappear for quite some time.  Sometimes, up to half a day.  The dog or child lost faith that he could be found.  It did not dawn on them that Zack couldn’t simply disappear.  There had to be a logical explanation as to his whereabouts.  But, alas, how soon they gave up.  Perhaps one of the reasons God feels so far away is we lack the faith to see Him.  We give up way too easily.  We do not spend time in prayer and Bible reading sufficient to meet with God who has not forsaken us.  Perhaps our eyes are on our circumstances rather than on the face of the One who is greater than our circumstances.  Whatever the cause, God has not hidden Himself.  He is only a prayer away.