Nahum 1:3, 9
The Lord is powerful,
yet patient;
he makes sure that the guilty
are always punished.
He can be seen in storms
and in whirlwinds;
clouds are the dust from his feet.
So don’t plot against the Lord!
He wipes out his enemies,
and they never revive.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
While waiting for a local parade, Timothy "hid" behind the bushes that were planted near an office building. He thought he was being clever...he even said, "You'll never find me!" (He also said, "Please don't leave me!") In truth, I always knew where he was...even when I counted to ten and pretended to "search" for him. And when we would discover each other, Timothy would squeal with delight and laugh like it was the funniest thing ever. This was simply a fun childhood game that we have all played hundreds of times...but it has bigger ramifications for us as Christians!
As we grow older, we often try to play "hide-and-seek" with God...or rather, there are times when we try to hide from Him. Once in a while, many of us would really like to take a "day off" from being a Christian, live in the world of "Burger King®", and "have it our way." Because we serve the God of free will, He allows this...to a point. But everyone has limits - even God. If we linger too long in the land of "You-Can't-Find-Me!", God will grow weary of these games - and He may allow us to suffer some consequences. We may even feel like God "counted to ten", then walked away and left us to fend for ourselves.
Understand this...God's desire for each of us is never to leave us - or that we suffer in any form. He does not send diseases, natural disasters, war, personal ridicule or mistreatment by others, and "bad things that happen to good people" in order to punish us. This might have happened in the Old Testament times, but the blood of Jesus changed everything - forever!
God does not "rain down" these things to "give us something to cry about"...but He does allow them some of the time. If God is so patient and loving...why would He do this? Think about it this way...if a child was playing hide-and-seek, and he/she wandered farther and farther away and would not come when called, you might let them feel "lost" for a little bit so that they realized that they needed to return. Sometimes children have to learn a hard lesson...and experience a burned finger or a scraped knee in the process.
As God's children, we have sometimes have to learn hard lessons, too. It's the price we pay for our "grown-up independence". I cannot promise that you will have a life free of any and every discomfort, illness, or unpleasant situation if you "toe the line" with God and "do everything right." For one thing, that will never happen, because we are human - and sinful! But more importantly, we will always need to lean on God to get us through tough times...to heal us from diseases and solve our problems. And that can only happen when there is the potential for troubles.
The GOOD NEWS is that with God, there will never be anything that we cannot handle together. Philippians 4:13 promises us that we can do all things through the power and strength of Christ Jesus (paraphrased). God's deepest desire is to heal us and restore us to new life, peace and joy in Him - and He is willing to do this over and again, every single day, if necessary. Our job is to "come out from behind the bush or tree" and follow Him...to say, "Here I am, LORD...where would you like me to go?"
God has counted to ten...and said, "Here I am!" Are you ready to be "found"? Have you decided to operate in His will and receive His healing power in every situation of your life? Isn't it time you did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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