Hiding in God

05 Monday Dec 2022

Tags

hiding, hiding place, shelter, spiritual, strong tower

Reading: Psalm 143:7-10
Answer me quickly, LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, LORD,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground (NIV). *

Photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Can you hide in someone else? That sounds like the plot for a sci-fi thriller. Maybe I could reduce myself to the size of a microbe and be injected into another person’s body? That would truly be a mind-boggling adventure, presumably with a good outcome for all.

But here in Psalm 143, David speaks of hiding himself in the LORD. Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you.

David, please tell me how I can do that? How do I hide myself in the LORD? This idea of hiding in God is well developed throughout the psalms. David sees the LORD as his strong tower and his shelter. See Psalm 61:3. David says this of the LORD: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).

Again, in Psalm 32 David makes this statement about the LORD. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).

How do I hide myself in God? Let me suggest that it begins by immersing oneself in God’s word. Jesus is the living logos—the word of God. See John 1:1-5. But in addition to reading and receiving the written word of God, we need to connect with the Spirit of God. Our human spirit must come alive to and through the Spirit of God. Receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is not merely an intellectual experience. It is a spiritual experience—a from the inside out transformational experience.

When our human spirit comes alive to God, these words become our prayer. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Response: LORD God, I have put my trust in you. I want to connect with your Holy Spirit. I want to be fully alive in you, body, soul, and spirit. Show me the way forward to a vibrant relationship with you. LORD, may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Amen.

Your Turn: Has your spirit connected with God’s Spirit? How has your life changed as a result?

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Can I Hide Myself in You?

07 Wednesday Jul 2021

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 143, Psalms

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

God's word, hide, hiding place, transformational

Turtle basking in the morning sun — photo by David Kitz

But here in Psalm 143, David speaks of hiding himself in the LORD. Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you.

David, please tell me how I can do that? How do I hide myself in the LORD? Actually, this idea of hiding in God is well developed throughout the psalms. David sees the LORD as his strong tower and his shelter. See Psalm 61:3. David says this of the LORD: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).

Again in Psalm 32 David makes this statement about the LORD. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).

When our human spirit comes alive to God, these words become our prayer. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Response: LORD God, I have put my trust in you. I want to connect with your Holy Spirit. I want to be fully alive in you, body, soul and spirit. Show me the way forward to a vibrant relationship with you. LORD, may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Amen.

Your Turn: Has your spirit connected with God’s Spirit? How has your life been changed by that encounter?

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

Hiding in God

05 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by davidkitz in Devotionals, Psalm 143, Psalms

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

hiding place, Holy Spirit, shelter, strong tower, trust in God

Reading: Psalm 143
(Verses 7-10)
Answer me quickly, LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, LORD,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground (NIV).*

Killaloe Creek — photo courtesy of Liz Kranz

But here in Psalm 143, David speaks of hiding himself in the LORD. Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you.

Again in Psalm 32 David makes this statement about the LORD. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).

When our human spirit comes alive to God, these words become our prayer. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Your Turn: Has your spirit connected with God’s Spirit? Has your life been changed by that encounter?

Surround me with Songs of Deliverance

21 Saturday Dec 2019

Posted by davidkitz in Bible, Psalm 32, Psalms

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

hiding place, praise the LORD, pray, Psalm 32, trouble

I will praise the LORD!

Of David. A maskil.

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

(Psalm 32:6-7, NIV)

Hide ‘n’ Seek with God

16 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by davidkitz in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 32, Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bible, David, David Kitz, distant, God, guilt, hidden, hide 'n' seek, hiding place, nearness of God, scriptures, seeing God, seeking God

Reading: Psalm 32

(Verses 6-7)
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you,
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance (NIV).

Reflection
In the previous stanza of this psalm, David received the amazing dam-busting forgiveness of God. He has just experienced a wonderful release from a load of guilt. But now in his next breath he has some advice for us, and here it is. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you, while you may be found.

Is God near or distant? — Ottawa River photo by David Kitz

We are to pray to God while He may be found. This raises some interesting questions. Is God unavailable at times? If God cannot be found, is He hiding? Furthermore, if God is hiding, where does He hide?

At this point I feel like jumping to my feet, like a lawyer pleading a case in the court of reason, and shouting out, “I object! All that David has told us about God so far would lead us to believe that God is always close at hand. Didn’t David testify to this earlier in Psalm twenty-three? He said the following words about the LORD his shepherd: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. And now it seems David is telling us that there are times when God cannot be found. Which is it David? It can’t be both.”

Ah, but it is both. This is one of those great divine paradoxes. The God, who is near, even in my heart, can also be distant—light years away, both in time and space. There exists a perceived distance between us that can vary according to the state of my heart—according to the state of my relationship with God.

The fact remains that we cannot see God though we see evidence of His handiwork all around us. Our infinitely complex human bodies and finely tuned senses are themselves proof of His existence, yet Him we cannot see. He is a hidden God, and when we walk beside Him, we walk by faith and not by sight.

Repeatedly in the scriptures we are commanded to seek after the LORD. I find this to be a rather curious expression. We cannot see God, and yet we are commanded to seek Him, as though He might suddenly appear over the next hill, or around the next bend in the road. Suddenly, in unexpected ways, we may encounter God. In reality the Psalms are all about encounters with God. Psalm nineteen began that way. Suddenly the starry hosts began talking to David about God, declaring His glory. We may pick up the Bible, and suddenly it speaks to our deepest need—the need of the moment, and we know that this is the voice of God with a word specifically for us today. Even the ungodly people of this world recognize that people encounter God. They use expressions like, “He found God,” to describe someone’s conversion to faith in Christ. The LORD invites us to play the most amazing game: Hide ‘n’ seek with God.

Response: LORD God, I want to seek after you. Show yourself to me today in this grand adventure called life. I want to have an encounter with you. I want to know what it means to be found by you. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you had a recent encounter with God? Do you sense His nearness or distance?

Hiding in You

20 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 143, Psalms

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

God's Spirit, hiding, hiding place, Holy Spirit, human spirit, Jesus Christ, logos, Lord, trust, word of God

Reading: Psalm 143

(Verses 7-10)
Answer me quickly, LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, LORD,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground (NIV).

Reflection

Can you hide in someone else? That sounds like the plot for a sci-fi thriller. Maybe I could reduce myself to the size of a microbe and be injected into another person’s body? That would truly be a mind-boggling adventure, presumably with a good outcome for all.

Easter bouquet — photo by David Kitz

But here in Psalm 143, David speaks of hiding himself in the LORD. Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you.

Again in Psalm 32 David makes this statement about the LORD. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).

When our human spirit comes alive to God, these words become our prayer. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Your Turn: Has your spirit connected with God’s Spirit? Has your life been changed by that encounter?

My Hiding Place

21 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms, Sunday's Psalm

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

hiding place, pray, protection

Secure!

The approaching storm, near Saltcoats, SK — photo by Tracy K

We worship you, Lord,
    and we should always pray
whenever we find out that we have sinned.
    Then we won’t be swept away
    by a raging flood.
You are my hiding place!
    You protect me from trouble,
and you put songs in my heart
    because you have saved me.

(Psalm 32:6-7, CEV)

Finding Hope

10 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

God's word, hiding place, hope, Psalm, retreat

You are my hiding place and my shield. I find hope in your word (Psalm 119:114 NET)

Photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is hope.

Do you have a personal hideout? Is there a place where you can retreat from the world and its demands? The psalmist found his hiding place in God. He is our shield—a place of safety. As we hear and read his word we find hope.

Response: Word of God speak to me. Let me hear your words of love and assurance. Show me the way forward today. Amen.

Your Turn: Does God’s word bring you hope?

I love the Psalms

~ Connecting daily with God through the Psalms

Tag Archives: hiding place