Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Hide and Seek - Nah, I'm Good 

In 1986, I packed a suitcase because it was time to go. I did something horrible, knowing trouble would find its way to my door.

The warning was clear: Don’t remove the mattress tag “under penalty of the law.” I rebelled, raged against the machine, and ripped it off. Panic immediately set in, and I ran, becoming a fugitive.

My mother was sick, but it didn’t stop her from locating my whereabouts. In fact, she always knew where I was and was prepared to have my grandmother pick me up and bring me home within the hour if I hadn’t returned. But she allowed me to sweat it out.

Eventually, I realized there was no escape, so I shared my fears with her. Obviously, my safety wasn’t jeopardized, and Judge Dredd wasn’t out for justice, but the six-year-old me didn’t understand anything past the words on the tag. (For the record, I wasn’t alone—warning tags still come on mattresses, but now, most of them say, “Do not remove under penalty of the law, except by consumer.”)

Jonah did everything in his “power” to run from God, to avoid doing what was asked. It wasn’t until Jonah realized he had zero control and his life was ending that he stopped resisting. He stopped rebelling.

Jonah 2:2

He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!”

In his despair, Jonah realized this truth: You can’t go where God can’t reach you. Jonah believed he could escape God, but God revealed otherwise as soon as Jonah stopped being childish and was ready to see what was always there.

We often take off to avoid or distance ourselves from our situations, because we aren’t ready to accept a calling, or we feel there’s no coming back from something we’ve done.

Romans 8:38-39

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The lyrics to “Real Thing” by Maverick City Music say it best: “Your weakness is only my strength. I hear your questions, and I’m closer than you think.” We should never forget we’re not beyond God’s reach. Everyone gets to come back. Stop running and cry out to God, “You’ve been here all this time. Tell me where have I been looking ‘cause you weren’t hard to find. Mercy opened up my eyes. Now I’m losing my religion to be loved like a child.”

Questions:

Are you trying to avoid God’s calling? Do you constantly wait until the trouble is too deep before you ask for God’s help?

Next Steps:

Embrace your walk with God by joining or leading a Group.

Be more purposeful in your prayer life by taking part in 21 Days of Prayer—text “21days” to 419-419-0707

21 days of Prayer

Day 9 Focus – The Next Generation (kids) (Proverbs 22:6)

Father, remind us that children are a gift from you for us to share with the world. Continue to equip us with the ability to raise them to follow your truth and discover their purpose. Thank you for giving our children the best of our qualities without losing their individuality. Grant us patience when we feel our child’s rebellious nature pulls them from their path of faith. Let us not forget that we too endured a season or more of doubt, pride, or selfishness, but the knowledge gifted to us by you brought us back to our purpose. Amen.

Today’s Parent Prayer