Does God Play Hide and Seek?

When my grandson Matthew was little, he like to play hide and seek. Once he ran into his room and waited excitedly for me to find him.

It wasn’t hard. It was like looking for a twenty-pound mouse behind the door. “Where’s Matthew?” I wondered out loud knowing full well where the little guy was hiding.


Just in case I missed him, though, Matthew gave hints. Little cries of “wooo …” issued from his hiding place. I finally pulled back the door and grabbed a giggling little boy who was trying to run away.

It’s not hard to find someone who wants to be found is it?

That’s why I have a hard time understanding those who say they lack evidence of God’s existence. Paul says that they will be without excuse on judgment day because, “But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life.” (Rom. 1: 19- 21 ,The Message)

God reveals Himself in His creation. People often see him without wanting to admit it. Listen to the mockings of the atheist, Richard Dawkins in his book, God Delusion: “Such a bandwidth! God, who may not have a brain made of neurons, or a CPU made of silicon, but if he has the powers attributed to him he must have something far more elaborately and non-randomly constructed than the largest brain or the largest computer we know.”

Bingo! Mr. Dawkins.

Like little Matthew, the creation cries out to us to find this God that surpasses our limited human experience.

God also calls to us through his Word. If you read it with a sincere heart you’ll find that God isn’t hiding.

He reveals Himself especially in His Son Jesus. “Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’” (Jean 14:9, NIV)

These days He’s added a revelation through His Church. “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Eph. 5: 22, 23)

Voices calling from all over, “Here I am! Find me! See me! Know me!” We’re serving a God who wants to be found and known. He’s not hiding.

Why is it important that we respond to his appeal?

God has called and called, drawn and drawn, but so many men have resisted Him. One day they won’t be able to close their eyes to Him but will experience the fruits of their neglect and contempt–their rebellion.

Church, keep calling out with God’s invitation. And if you’re among those who’ve resisted God, today is the day to turn your heart back and find the God who is not hiding.

If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.
But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,
I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.
Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,
since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:22-33, NIV).

God wants to be found. Do you have your eyes open?

_______________
Hmmm …
“I’d rather be able to pray than be a great preacher: Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only to pray.”
D. L. Moody

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