Day 31: Hiding from God

Scripture Focus: John 3:16-21

"They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God." -Genesis 3:8, NASB

Hiding. It is what we do when we're afraid, when we're ashamed, when we know we've messed up but we don't want to face the consequences. Once Eve sinned, what may have been a daily, joyous routine, sharing the evening hours with her Creator, now became something to dread. She found herself hiding from God-and even ashamed for her husband to see her as she was.

Are you in hiding?

It may be hard to admit that we are trying to avoid God. We may find plenty of excuses to skip Bible reading, steer clear of friends who might confront us, or simply stop listening to truth. Sometimes we've been in hiding for so long that we've forgotten the reason why. Hiding from God keeps us from His presence, which leads to spiritual drought.

"Silence is not golden when we use it to try to avoid the truth," say Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom. "Any attempt we make to hide from God-whether through silence or blatant lying-is absurd. Do we really believe God won't notice our sin or our efforts to conceal it?"*

Our attempts to hide from God are as juvenile as the two year old covering his eyes and believing that he is hidden from view. Yet when we are unwilling to discuss something with a godly counselor, when we resist the things of God, when we fill up our lives with enough activity to drown out the Spirit's conviction, we are in hiding mode.

Rather than fearing to come out into the open, we should fear the consequences of covering our sin. Consider this truth from the Word: "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity" (Proverbs 28:13-14, NASB).

A healthy fear of God leads to openness, honesty, and freedom. But fear of confessing our sins brings concealment, deception, and enslavement to our fears. Hiding seeks the darkness for its covering; confession seeks the light (John 3:19-21). Hiding is an attempt to deal with our sins independently from God; confession allows the blood of Christ to cover our sins.

Take Time to Reflect

Are there things you have kept hidden? Have you resorted to deception in an attempt to cover sin? Are you hiding from God because of resistance to His role and design for you as a woman? Do you have hidden sin in the area of moral purity? Is your pride keeping you from being honest? Is anything worth keeping you from experiencing God's presence? Prayerfully read John 3:16-21. Ask God to open your eyes to any sin you may have hidden for so long that you're no longer convicted. Ask God to soften your heart and make it sensitive to sin. Be willing to agree with God about your sin. Come clean and step into the light!

True Woman Wyoming Prayer Focus

God will touch the hearts of women during the True Woman Wyoming Conference. Ask Him to give the planning committee sensitivity to His Spirit, along with discernment and compassion, as they pray for the women and the events being planned for the conference. Pray that women will not be "spectators," but will respond personally to the conviction and ministry of the Spirit. Pray for a spirit of brokenness throughout the weekend.