If you're like me (advancing in age), then perhaps, from time to time, you take a quick look back to your childhood days and reminiscence about those "good old days" of playing with friends until dark; racing your buddies on your bicycles; or playing catch with a friend before a big game.
I did that last night as I began to think about playing one of my favorite summertime games...HIDE AND SEEK! We had a big yard and so did both of our neighbors on either side. So the large group of neighborhood kids would gather at my house, usually around 7:30 or so, and get geared up to play the game. We would go through a myriad of ways to determine who would be the first seeker, lay down the rules that we could only be in one of the three yards, and then the game would begin. The one that was the seeker shut their eyes, counted out loud to TEN and then yelled, READY OR NOT, HERE I COME! Now I was not only a great hider, but I was extremely fast; so I would often hide nearby home base and wait for others to make their mad dash to freedom; then, when it was down to me and maybe one other kid, I would make my move and head for home...both literally and figuratively...since the patio on the front of our house was always Home Base.
Which got me to thinking of a verse from my childhood that came from the prophet Isaiah, which says, "6 So you should look for the Lord before it is too late; you should call to him while he is near. 7The wicked should stop doing wrong, and they should stop their evil thoughts. They should return to the Lord so he may have mercy on them. They should come to our God, because he will freely forgive them." " Isaiah 55:6-7 New Century Version
I quote this verse because too often I have known (and been one myself) a believer that is searching or seeking God in the midst of a horrible life experience. We look around, searching to see some presence of God in this situation, and it seems HE IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND!!! So we begin to try and handle our "misfortune" on our own, failing miserably time after time...still crying out, "GOD WHERE ARE YOU? WHY HAVE YOU NOT ANSWERED MY PRAYERS? We go to others for their advice and we seek counsel on why God is not nearby and helping us through these trying times? First, let me say, GOD DOES NOT FORSAKE HIS OWN....IT IS YOU AND I THAT HAVE FORSAKEN HIM! Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 1:16 International Standard Version
16 For it is written, “You must be holy, because I am holy.
For when we stop being holy and sin is once again prevalent in our lives, it is then that we have lost the listening ear of God. With unforgiven sin in our life, God's presence and present help is being blocked....and our connection with God's Holy Spirit is restricted in His ability to do His will and have His way in our lives. It is spelled out for us in the seventh verse of Isaiah 55...STOP DOING WRONG(sin)AND HAVING (and acting on) OUR EVIL THOUGHTS. RETURN TO THE LORD(ask for His mercy) and ACCEPT HIS BOUNDLESS FORGIVENESS(be made holy once more)!
Scripture admonishes us to "Look for the Lord BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!" So just like in the game of Hide and Seek, the last one caught is now the one who must seek those that hide....and if you are really good at hiding, then you can yell as we did as kids, ALAY, ALAY, ALAY...HOME FREE!
Don't let the problems of life get the best of you. Confess any sin in your life, pray that the Father will intervene with His power, mercy and grace and then you will always know that when you seek the Lord while He is near....HE WILL BE FOUND...WORKING ALL THINGS OUT FOR YOUR GOOD AND HIS GLORY!!!!
My sins aren't hidden...they are FORGIVEN,
WPQ
Poem for the day....
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