HIDE AND SEEK

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" (Luke 15:18-20).

 

During my daily quiet time with the Lord this week, I was struck by the enormous love of our Father God for us His children.  While the prodigal son in this parable was still a considerable distance from home, the father spotted him as he was making his way back to his father's house.  It was not by coincidence that his father saw him; his father had watched for him since the time that he had left, waiting hopefully for his son's return.  Then, when the father saw his son, there was no hesitancy and no second guessing of what his response should be: he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.  God's love for us is no less immense.  Even when we fail Him, His love never fails.  He is ever seeking for His lost sheep to turn them back again to the fold.  Jesus, speaking of His mission to the world said, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).  In another place He said, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17). 

 

It is clear that God's intention is to seek, to call, and to allure us to Himself.  Our reaction, on the other hand, is quite the opposite.  We tend to hide.  When we know that we have sinned, we become weighted down with guilt and tend to avoid God because of the condemnation that we feel.  This is counter-productive to be sure.  Our holiness depends on our relationship with Christ because it comes from the life that is in Him, and not from our own efforts.  In order to bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must abide in the Vine, and Jesus is the True Vine.  Through Him come all of the nutrients that cause us, the branches, to produce the fruit of righteousness. 

 

We get this tendency to hide from God honestly.  Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, were the first to experience the shame of disobedience, and their reaction was to hide.  "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"  (Genesis 3:8, 9).  Notice that God was already seeking for Adam and Eve, even knowing that they had sinned.  His desire was to restore them.  After all, they were His creation, the work of His hands.  He had a grand design for man; but His enemy, Satan, desired only to derail God's plan and destroy His works.  God, in His infinite wisdom, determined to send His Son Jesus to redeem man from his own failure, and from Satan's schemes.

 

What should be our response, then, when we have failed our heavenly Father and sinned?  We must follow the ultimate example of the prodigal son.  He said, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son."  Truly acknowledging our sin, and truly humbling ourselves to God are the ways that we restore our relationship with Him.  Even before these, however, comes faith.  The prodigal determined to go to the father, not hide from him.  This determination itself reveals the prodigal's faith that his father would receive him, and forgive him.  King David, who was very familiar with repentance, said, "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm 32:5).  He also said, "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6).  He realized the futility of trying to hide anything from God.  He knew that our hearts and minds must always be open to God in order for us to have a right relationship with Him.  In fact, our character is defined more by the choices and decisions we make when we are alone (before God only) than by what we do when we know people are watching us.  God has said, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).  Let's not hide from our loving Father, knowing that He is ever seeking a relationship with us.  He really does love us!