Genesis 3:8-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [a]cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Across ethnic, linguistic, and geographical boundaries, children and even adults of all ages everywhere continue to enjoy the fun of playing hide-and-seek.
It is a universal and innocent game.
But the first game of hide-and-seek in this world was neither fun nor innocent.
It was something deadly serious, it came with serious and severe consequences.
After Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the garden, they hid from each other behind fig leaves and from their Creator behind the trees of the garden.
They unsuccessfully attempted histories very first cover-up—and God came walking in the garden, seeking them with a simple question: “Where are you?”
This revealing question turns on its head the common assumption that man is naturally looking for God, who is hiding somewhere in or beyond the universe.
Instead, we discover the opposite: we are the ones who are hiding, whose first, most natural inclination is to hide and God is the one who comes seeking.
The question may seem like a strange one for God to ask these first humans.
After all, doesn’t God know everything already?
But God asked where Adam and Eve were not so He could gain new information but because He wanted to help them come to grips, understand their situation.
God came to draw them out more than to drive them out.
As much as it is possible for our finite thought processes, imagine the many ways God could, should have reacted in response to Adam and Eve’s rebellion.
If He had responded strictly in judgment, He could have instantaneously brought about the sentence of death He had warned them of (Genesis 2:16-17).
But it is in God’s nature always to have mercy; so He came instead with a single question.
This is the first glimpse of God’s grace after humanity turned their backs on Him.
God did not immediately give them what they justly deserved; rather, out of His immense kindness, instead He granted what was not deserved: an opportunity to respond with above board honesty, with integrity and in truth and to return.
That is not what happened here – instead they responded with the blame game.
We immediately hide behind our excuses, none of us would feel comfortable if those closest to us could see all of our deepest thoughts and previous actions.
We may hide the truth from each other, and perhaps even from ourselves.
But to hide from God is futile.
There is simply no way to hide and nowhere to shift the blame to.
Psalm 139:1-12 New American Standard Bible 1995
God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You [c]scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [f]Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will [g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark [h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
We cannot hide our thoughts, we cannot hide ourselves from God -we must not believe the lie that God won’t see the “little” sins we keep hidden from others.
He sees.
Ultimately, He sees into our souls and knows exactly what we have done and where we stand.
1 Samuel 16:6-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
6 When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [a]God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
Wonderfully, we do not need to pretend that we can hide.
He comes to us in mercy, not in judgment, for
“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).
Are you burdened by some besetting sin or secret shame?
Are you seeking to hide from God what you have been hiding from others?
There’s never been a better time to stop hiding from Him. Step into the light.
Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Uncover what cannot remain hidden before Him—so that He might cover it with His blood and so that you might know you are both known and forgiven.
Psalm 32:1-2 Easy-to-Read Version
A maskil of David.
32 It is a great blessing
when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done,
when their sins are erased.[a]
2 It is a great blessing
when the Lord says they are not guilty,
when they don’t try to hide their sins.
How genuinely blessed did you feel yesterday?
How genuinely blessed do you feel today?
How confident are you that you will feel genuinely blessed tomorrow?
Psalm 139:23-24 Easy-to-Read Version
23 God, examine me and know my mind.
Test me and know all my worries.
24 Make sure that I am not going the wrong way.[a]
Lead me on the path that has always been right.[b]
He is a compassionate kind and saving God who desires a relationship with us.
How much do you genuinely believe this?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 103 New American Standard Bible 1995
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs [b]righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who [c]fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who [d]fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows [e]our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17 But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [f]fear Him,
And His [g]righteousness to children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His [h]sovereignty rules over [i]all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 