We have two indoor cats,
sisters that have never been outside. They look nothing alike.
One is grey and
black with long hair. Her name is Pepper. The other is black and white with
short hair. Her name is Mittens. Don’t laugh, but my wife and I are convinced
they understand more human words than we understand cat words, which is zero.
I had an appointment at 10:00
this morning to take Pepper in to have her hair trimmed, then for her shot at
the vet’s office, which is in the same building. Pepper was under my feet all
morning, wanting a snack, until I called the vet’s office around 9:15. I haven’t
seen her since. I had to reschedule her hair trimming appointment and needless
to say, her shot at the vet’s office. She is hiding from me, and this isn’t the
first time this has happened.
I got to thinking about this
from another angle, and I had to ask myself, “I wonder how often I have run off
to hide from God?” How many times has He wanted to do what is best for us, but
we have hidden ourselves from His presence, so we think? I can’t find Pepper
right now and there is no point in looking, but can we really hide from God?
Indulge me while we read what King David had to say about this.
“Where can I go from Your
Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your
presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You
are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol,
behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the
dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest
part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will
lead me,
And Your right hand will lay
hold of me.
If I say, “Surely the
darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will
be night,”
Even the darkness is not dark
to You,
And the night is as bright as
the day.
Darkness and light are alike
to You.
For You formed my inward
parts;
You wove me in my mother’s
womb.
I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very
well.
My frame was not hidden from
You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the
depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my
unformed substance;
And in Your book were all
written
The days that were ordained
for me,
When as yet there was not one
of them. (Psalm 139:7-16 NASB)
Wow! Regardless of where we
are, what we are doing and even thinking, God is there. He knows all, and I
mean “ALL.” There is no place to hide from Him. That’s really something to
think about; especially when we think we’re getting by with ‘mischief.’ Maybe
that’s why two of God’s attributes are called being ‘omnipresent’ and ‘omniscient.’
He knows all about us before
we were even formed in our mother’s womb. He knows how many days we will live
even before we live the first day.
We sing of Santa Claus, “he
knows when you’ve been bad or good,” but that is actually a lie. However, in
God’s case, it is most definitely true in every sense of the word.
I spent a lot of time in the
past trying to hide from God. Have you? Maybe that is what you are doing right
now. If you are a child of God, quit wasting your life and come out of hiding. We
really aren’t living at all until we are living in His will. I’m not saying
that everything is going to be a beautiful bed of roses. I am saying that true
peace and happiness can only be found when we are in His will, living out in
the open in the warmth of His light.
Maybe you’re not a child of
God. Do you really think He knows nothing about you or what you’re going
through? Do you really think He doesn’t care? Whether you are His child or not,
Jesus says,
“Are not five sparrows sold
for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than
many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7 NASB)
If you were not important to
God, He would never have died and rose again so you could have eternal life
with Him. If you were not important, He would never have provided so much for
you if you call upon His Son Jesus to be saved.
We cannot hide from God. Many
will laugh it off and say, “Nonsense!” He still knows who you really are, not
what you portray to others, but who you ‘really’ are. He knows where you are.
He knows your heart.
At the Judgment Seat of
Christ, every Christian’s works will be judged by Jesus Christ in order to
present us with rewards for our faithful service. Salvation is not an issue.
That is settled. He wants to reward us for what we have done for Him. Are you
in hiding, or living for Him out in the open?
At the great White Throne
Judgment, every unbeliever of all ages will stand before Him to be judged for
their works. Again, salvation is not an issue, because no one standing before
Him on that day will have salvation. They will not possess eternal life, but
instead eternal death. Only their works will be judged, and no one will have
enough. Their works will have to measure up to the works of Christ, and none
will. All will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Are you in hiding? He knows all
about you. Why not come to Him now and ask Him to save you?
“For Moses writes that the
law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its
commands. But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your
heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t
say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life
again).” In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in
your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your
heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth
that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will
never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have
the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who
calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans 10:5-13 NLT)
Christians, if we’re going to
hide, let’s do it God’s way.
“Thou art my hiding place and
my shield: I hope in thy word.” (Psalm 119:114)
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
