Where is Your Hiding Place?

To snuggle into a cozy place and pull the covers over your head? Where is your hiding place? When overwhelm sets in, God offers the safest hiding place of all — Himself.

 

WHY HIDE?

It’s a natural instinct.

The threat can be physical or emotional, real or imaginary. Regardless of origin, your response is the same. You don’t feel safe, and you’re looking for a refuge. (Unless you’re playing hide and seek, and then it’s just plain fun). 🙂

See if any of the following trigger your hide impulse:

• awkward or overwhelming social situations
• conflict of any kind
• the poisonous words of gossips and backstabbers
• the pressure of being too busy
• the weight of overwhelming responsibility
• a threat to your physical safety
• the dread of future calamity
• misplaced trust

All of these resonate with me. Thankfully there aren’t many threats to my physical safety, so the majority of my hide triggers are of social, emotional or mental origin. And guess what? God covers it all. He is willing and able to shelter me, and you, from dangers of any variety.

 

WHERE IS YOUR HIDING PLACE? — HE HIDES YOUR SPIRIT

You and I need saving. In so many ways.

Our lives are born of discord. Harmony and peace with God don’t come easily. Thankfully, God Himself did the hard part in bridging the gap. He left the safety of heaven, wrapped Himself in human flesh, and trudged through the dust of earth. This in itself was brave and admirable, but He did far more.

This Jesus, “God with us”, bore the brokenness of humanity in His very soul. There, on the cross, He took the punishment for your rebellion. He paid the penalty for your sins. His blood bought your freedom and reconciled you to God. This is a gift beyond measure – one that only the humble and surrendered can open.

 

OPENING YOUR GIFT

When you come to the end of yourself, it’s here that Jesus meets you. In Him you’ll find much more than life beyond the grave. Fresh, abundant, eternal life begins now, once you’re born from above.

Sure, life still has its troubles. Often adversity picks up after salvation. But there’s a new place of safety for your soul – a hiding place of unparalleled protection.

Breathe in these amazing words, as you read them. Let this truth penetrate your core:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV)

It’s mind-boggling. Once your soul is saved, your true abode is in Christ, in God, in heaven! You’re still walking around here on earth, but positionally, you’re already in the heavenlies.

Your spirit is secure, in Him. He is the safest hiding place of all.

 

WHERE IS YOUR HIDING PLACE? — HE GUARDS YOUR HEART

God is your fortress. He protects your spirit, once you are in Him. He also guards your heart.

Those harsh words that hurt, the heartaches of hope deferred, these and more are within His power to heal and even prevent.

God’s protection for your heart is twofold. He guards your heart when you are found in Him (His part), and when you remain in Him (your part). This doesn’t mean that hurtful or unsafe experiences won’t come your way, but it does mean that He’ll shelter you in the midst of attack.

Your Part:

Your heart belongs to Him. Don’t put all your hope in the approval or affection of others. Human love can be beautiful. Just remember Whose love is your sustaining source. Only God’s love is unchanging, ever-present, and steadfast. No human love comes near His capacity, because God Himself is love.

Remain in His love.

Follow His advice. Don’t put your hopes and dreams in uncertain places. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12). Hope in Jesus is never disappointed. He will never let you down or betray you.

God’s Part:

Stand still and let Him shelter your heart. Don’t stray. As Jesus mourned for Israel two thousand years ago, He still grieves for those who wander and reject His protection:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you were not willing. – Matthew 23:37 (NLT & NKJV)

 

 

WHERE IS YOUR HIDING PLACE — HE PROTECTS YOUR MIND

Overwhelming responsibilities. The poison of gossiping tongues. The fear of future calamity. The pressure of  unrelenting busyness.

Is your mind under siege? God is your stronghold. He offers wisdom to regulate rogue thoughts, and a place of repose for the troubled mind.

Mental toughness is a requirement for sanity. The truth is, your thoughts require policing. Errant thoughts, running wild, stir panic. Leave them unchecked, and you’ll wind up a tangled, captive mess.

Whether you’re worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet, or knee deep in present calamity, the solution just might be fear itself. But the good kind.

A Healthy Fear and a Vital Trust

When you worry, you capitulate to earthly problems. But if you fear God, if you reverence Him above all else, worldly fears fade in comparison. Only God is worthy of  awe, of holy fear.

He is also worthy of trust (of which worry is a lack). Have you ever thought of worry as sin? The worrisome thought isn’t sinful, but once you choose to latch onto that thought and meditate on it, you’ve entered into unbelief. You’re bowing before the worry, not the Lord. Combat this by quick repentance, and renewed reverence for the only One worthy of such a fixation. Let Him give your perspective an adjustment.

Depending on the severity of the tribulation, this constant retraining can be a grueling process, a sort of see-saw between faith and unbelief. But it’s worth the fight. Whether your foes face you now, or threaten future woe, keep your mental focus where it ought to be. The fear of the Lord  is the beginning of wisdom. Set your mind to trust in Him, for He is your hiding place.

Join King David in proclaiming what is true and real:

How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You. You lavish it on those who trust in You, blessing them before the watching world. You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them safe in Your dwelling from accusing tongues. – Psalm 31:19/20 (NKJV)

 

 

HE PRESERVES YOUR BODY

God’s fierce protection is never more welcome than in the midst of physical danger. He may show you the way out. Or, He may cover you and literally hide you beneath the shadow of His wings.

Does this sound crazy? It’s not. God is King of the miraculous. He formed everything that exists – with His Word. How much easier do you think it is for Him to circumvent the very physical laws He created? As our Maker once remarked to the prophet Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27 (NKJV). You best be saying “No.”

I could recount events from Scripture, where God offered supernatural intervention on behalf of His beloved. Instead, I’m directing you towards something more recent. It does, in fact, document God’s use of a physical hiding place, as well as His miraculous preservation and deliverance.

 

The Hiding Place

Corrie Ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who lived from 1892 to 1983. During World War Two, she worked with her father, Casper, and her sister Betsie, to protect many Jews from the Nazis. Her home became a literal hiding place, though God was always the ultimate protector. Even when their secret shelter was discovered, and the Ten Booms arrested, God still showed Himself strong on their behalf. Miracles abounded as they continued to share the hope and love of Jesus with fellow prisoners in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Casper and Betsie did not survive, but Corrie lived on, sharing their story, God’s story, with the world. Her autobiographical book, The Hiding Place, has touched millions of readers. In it, Corrie gives her Heavenly Father all the glory, citing these verses as the book’s foundation:

You are my hiding place,

You shall preserve me from trouble,

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. – Psalm 32: 7 (NKJV)

I heartily recommend her book. You can purchase The Hiding Place on Amazon by clicking this link.

The movie version is also available streaming.

 

 

HIDDEN IN HIS PRESENCE: SPIRIT, HEART, MIND, BODY

God offers such sweet protection and companionship when you surrender your all to Him: spirit, heart, mind and body. Only then will you experience the mystery of abiding in Christ. Your spirit, hidden in Him. Your heart, sheltered beneath His wings. Your mind, guarded by His peace. Your body, preserved until the day when faith becomes sight, the veil is lifted, and you see your Hiding Place face to face.

As always, I welcome your comments and feedback below. ?