Hide-and-Seek

Bible Reading: Isaiah 65:1-2

I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. Isaiah 65:1, NIV

IT MAY BE a while since you’ve played a game of hide-and-seek, but can you remember what fun it was? Searching out the perfect place to hide. Not moving a muscle so that you wouldn’t give away your hiding place. The rush of adrenaline when you were finally found.

And then there were all those amateur detective skills you had to put into use when it was your turn to be “it.” Keeping your ears open for the slightest sound. Figuring out where others thought were the best places to hide. Watching for the slightest clue that would reveal a player’s location: a piece of clothing sticking out of a closet door, a pile of laundry piled a little too high, a slight movement behind some drapes.

While most people who play hide-and-seek don’t want to be found, if you ever play the game with God, you’ll soon discover that he doesn’t seem to know the rules. Instead of making himself hard to find, God always seems to give away his “location.” Sometimes he makes it almost impossible to miss him!

Although you may not be looking for God, God is constantly looking for you and trying to reveal himself to you. Over and over again, God tells us that he loves us. Over and over again, he tells us in his Word that he wants to do good to us. God’s patience with us is infinite. His desire to make us his own will never end.

If your relationship with God has involved a little more hiding than seeking lately, why not decide now to turn that around? The Bible says to “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Seek God through prayer and reading his Word. You’ll be sure to find him.

REFLECT: If God really wanted to hide from us, do you think we could find him? If we tried to hide from him, do you think we could succeed? Are you hiding from God right now or are you looking for him? What are ways you can actively search for God today?

ACT: Play a short game of hide-and-seek with friends or family as a reminder to seek the Lord and not hide from him.

PRAY: “Heavenly Father, you are worth more than the effort I make at seeking you. Thank you for the privilege of being able to find you.”