Remember playing hide and seek as a kid?
My family used to play hide and seek on my grandparent’s farm after dark. The person who was “It” counted and everyone else scattered. Light from the house windows and moon eclipsed by trees and bushes cast shadowy dens across the property. It was hide and seek perfection; unless you were “It.”
Shadow and light played tricks on the eyes of the seeker. You pursued an outline in the dark, certain you’d found a hider only to stumble over a lawn chair or branch.
Do you ever feel like God is playing hide and seek? One day things are smooth sailing, then there is an unexpected problem. The car breaks down and now you have a huge bill. You receive a phone call that your loved one has collapsed. A close friend betrays a confidence. Your child walks away from the Lord. A physical ailment just won’t go away. You pray and pray. Read the Bible. Speak words of faith. Yet change is slow coming, hope dwindles, and peace is fleeting.
There have been times when it seemed I couldn’t find God. My circumstances were grueling. My prayers desperate. An eerie silence hung in response to my petitions. I became frustrated with the continual instruction to seek God.
“I feel abandoned by You, God. Why does it seem like You are hiding? Your Word tells me You never leave me. You never change. You are always faithful … and I believe Your Word. But, where did You go? If all these things are true – and I know that they are – why do I have to keep seeking You and nothing seems to change?”
At the end of my rant and in the quiet I heard, “My child, I am not hiding. I am not holding out on you. I want you to keep seeking Me because there is always more to discover! I am infinite and there is so much I want you to know about Me. Do not be discouraged. I am not hiding. I am here and I have something new for you.”
A.W. Tozer writes, “God, to be God, must be infinite in all that He is. He must have no bound and no limit, no stopping place, no point beyond which He can’t go. When you think of God or anything about God you’ll have to think infinitely about God.”
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:5 NASB
So, when I say I am seeking God about the plan for my new season, I can say it with excitement, because I know God’s got something good for me. Changes or challenges don’t mean God has abandoned me. A time of silence doesn’t mean He is hiding.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20 NLT emphasis added
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the wisdom of God as a hidden mystery. He goes on to explain that these truths have not stayed hidden. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.”
This is why I write about treasures hidden. The treasures are hidden for us, not from us! Please do not be weary in seeking God. It is our privilege and honor to have the opportunity to receive deeper insight into the Creator of the universe and our loving Saviour. He is not holding out. He’s waiting for us to come.
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’
Hosea 10:12 NLT
Peace to you in your own God-seeking.
Treasures Hidden 
Just this morning I was praying and journaling about God as a seeker. Of course the same verses were coming to mind. Then I started just writing words that came to mind. I was brought to playing hide and seek as a child. I was the kid that hated hide and seek.
If I was the seeker, I was afraid I wouldn’t find anyone, and that I’d look stupid.
If I was the hider, I was terrified nobody was actually trying to find me.
God showed me I’ve used that as a truth in my life, in relationships, with him and others.
I wasn’t sure what to do with that revelation. I then read your post and just wept.
What was particularly striking is the verse from Hosea you shared. It is a call to action, yet it didn’t say seek the Lord so you can find him, but to seek that HE may come. That was just what my little girl heart needed!
He then spoke this to my heart.
“I will never be unfound. I come running for you at your first inkling of seeking me. I will always come for you. Where YOU hide, I will always find you. I am the God who sees you!”
I was meditating on Gen 16:13 the other day, so it was perfectly woven in.
Thank you for letting God use you to get into an old deep part that needed attention so badly.
Sorry for typos and such–I’m on my phone with the twins climbing on me. 😉
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Stacey,
Thank you, dear friend, for sharing your thoughts with us. I love what God spoke to you – “I will never be unfound.” My heart is bursting! Such a wondrous, loving God. And, yes – yes! He is the God Who sees. Your little girl heart was never forgotten and He is unwilling to let any of His kids stay wounded!
I also love that you took time to comment here in spite of great obstacles – climbing twins! I can just see it! 😀 Love you, Sweetie!
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I always enjoy your blog. This one brought back great memories of playing hide and seek with my children when they were small. I would hide, but not that well. The joy was seeing their faces light up when they found me. They would scream out and I would laugh loudly.
God has hidden great secrets for us to discover, but He hasn’t hidden them in a way that makes it too difficult for us to discover. I bet He laughs out loud as we squeal when we discover hidden treasure. 🙂
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Oh, I love that picture of God hiding treasures – but not really – and His delight when we seek and find Him.
Seems to me like that’s a key factor. How will we find if we do not seek?
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