How Do You Hide from God?

Have you ever felt like hiding from God?

There are three common ways to attempt to hide from God and I think that, at one time or another, each of us had tried one of these. After having done something wrong, our conscience convicts us: “Guilty!” Our shame makes us want to avoid God, to hide from Him.

Adam and Eve: Hiding
After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened. The next thing they did is try to hide their naked bodies with clothing. And then, when they heard the sound of God in the Garden of Eden…

“...the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” 

—Genesis 3:8

They literally hid, but It didn’t work.

Jonah: Running
God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh with a message of divine judgment. Jonah ran the opposite direction from Nineveh. He revealed his reasoning: He knew that God was merciful and he did not want the people of Nineveh (Israel’s enemy) to receive mercy. (Jonah 4:2)

Jonah had not sinned like Adam and Eve. He was not running in shame. He was trying to avoid God’s instruction. Stated more emphatically, Jonah attempted to hide from God through disobedience to God’s instruction! That too, did not work.

David: Denying
King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then ordered the death of her husband to cover up their sin due to her pregnancy. David continued for months without addressing his sin. He was hiding from God by denying his sin and guilt through silence.

David explained how his attempt at hiding worked out…

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

—Psalm 32:3-4

We can attempt to hide from God in silence, like David. We can attempt to hide from God in disobedience, like Jonah. We can even attempt to hide among the trees, like Adam and Eve. In the latter case, we may attempt to hide by avoiding fellow Christians when we feel shame. Being around anyone living the Christian life makes us feel even more guilty.

Another way of hiding among the trees is by managing conversations so that no one ever gets close to finding out our guilt.

How do you hide from God? 

You can’t.

We must understand that God knows that sin separates us from Him, and yet, He loves to forgive. He doesn’t want us to hide from Him when we sin, but rather, race to Him confessing our sins. With open arms He is eager to forgive.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness.

—1 John 1:9

If we refuse to confess our sins, we are fooling ourselves in a futile attempt at hiding. Yet, when we confess our sins, we are running to God assuring Him that we agree about sin, that sin is hideous and that we desire purity.

Have you been hiding?

Do you need to confess sin?
Confess to God in prayer! 

Run to God...Now!

Mark Stinnett

December 10, 2023