32:7 Girl, Part 2
By Paulette Stamper
You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).
David didn’t pray, “You are A hiding place” or “You are THE hiding place.” He prayed, “You are MY hiding place.” God is willing to hide those who choose to hide in Him. I hope this reminds you of the Participation Principle. To quickly recap, the Participation Principle is based on this: the Bible is the Word of God, God’s Word is His promise, and God cannot lie. Therefore if God said it, He will do it. Often, if we want to experience God’s promises, we must choose to participate. (If you missed Part One, you can find it at PauletteStamper.com/blog).
Remember the analogy of the young girl hiding behind her dad’s legs? This is how God’s daughters look when we run to Him, not from Him. When should we run to God? We should run to Him when we need forgiveness, security, safety, reassurance, unconditional love and healing, and just plain rest for our weary souls. We must choose God as our hiding place; He won’t force anyone to hide in Him. When we do, He makes us feel secure, safe, and yes – even courageous. Let me explain with an example from Isaiah 6.
Isaiah was a prophet who lived in a culture much like our own. He was surrounded by political unrest (can we relate?), uncertainty regarding the future security of his nation (can we relate??), and a culture that was far from God (can we relate???). He was shown a vision of the throne room in heaven and saw the Lord seated “high and lifted up” on His throne. (Side note: God is STILL on His throne, and no matter how crazy or spinning out of control things may seem, He’s not worried. Pardon my grammar, but “He’s got this!”) Something shifted in Isaiah when He saw the Lord. He no longer focused on what surrounded him; instead, he focused on what surrounded the Lord. Something happens when we take our eyes off of our surroundings and focus on the Lord Jesus. It gives us a correct perspective, not only of our surroundings but also of ourselves. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he ran to Him, not from Him. He cried out, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (I encourage you to read all of Isaiah 6).
An angel touched his lips with a coal from the altar, signifying Isaiah’s forgiveness. I love this scene because when Isaiah realized his own sin, not just the sin of those who surrounded him, he didn’t run and hide from God. We can learn a thing or two from his response! It would do us well and good to respond to God with reverence and awe. Let’s not lose our wonder of the Lord God Almighty. Let’s be quick to humble ourselves and cry out in repentance when we need to. Let’s be quick to admit our sin and embrace God’s forgiveness. That, my friends, is running TO God, not FROM Him. That’s hiding IN God, not FROM Him.
Imagine that little girl hiding behind her dad again. Now that she knows she’s safe in his care, she finds the courage to face what made her afraid. How? Because she knows nothing can get to her without going through him first!
Courage.
When we hide in God, He makes us courageous.
When the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8), Isaiah responded with courage:
“Here am I. Send me!”
Here’s something we need to know as we talk about hiding in God:
Those whom God hides, He sends.
Don’t let that freak you out. If being ‘sent’ by God scares you, then might I suggest the obvious? Hide in Him. Run to Him, not from Him. You don’t have to try and muster up the courage to be sent – that’s what He does while you do the hiding.
Remember, God will be YOUR hiding place, not just A hiding place. What will you choose? I pray you will spend time hiding in the Most High and allow Him to fill you with more courage than you ever dreamed possible.
If we want to experience God as our hiding place, then all we need to do is choose to hide in Him. What are we waiting for?
#327girl
#hidinginGod
#courageous