God of Hide-and-Seek

Now that blog posts on the Gospel of John have been completed, the time comes to contemplate what to do next. Work through another book of the Bible? Write biblical study through a topical series?

I've been distracted enough that I forgot to look ahead and pray for direction, and now find myself asking these questions of the Lord. He's never yet failed to lead the way.

I love that about Him.

I've asked Him a great many questions over the years. "Why …" has be a frequent one. It's also been the one most rarely answered. One can't help but suspect that God loves playing Hide and Seek. The fact that God is invisible is the first clue. The fact that He leaves evidence of His presence everywhere is the second.

"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," says the LORD …
~ Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NKJV)

The key to winning this game with God is the "all your heart" thing. That phrase appears 21 times in the NKJV. The first time is when God tells His people what to do when they are in trouble:

"But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
~ Deuteronomy 4:29 (NKJV)

God wants to be found. But He also wants to be sought. He doesn't give Himself away casually.

Disasters occur. Injustice and cruelty run rampant. People suffer miserably. And the question is frequently posed: "Where was God?"

The great I AM is always present. But until such things happen, a great many people don't think to look for Him.

The saddest aspect of suffering is if people only then think to look for God, but fail to put their hearts into finding Him.

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Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.