THE HIDING PLACE

Psalm 32
THE HIDING PLACE
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (v.7)

Hiding is a fun game with children. Whether it is simply hiding the face with the hand, or hiding our whole body in a wardrobe, the game never fails to entertain and delight. Perhaps, hiding provides the elements of suspense and surprise which we all enjoy.

However, as adults, hiding can develop into a dangerous game. Husbands hide adultery from their wives. Employees hide theft from their company. Criminals hide themselves from the law. The ultimate of the game is when we try to hide from God.

King David for a time hid from God the double crime of his murder of Uriah and adultery with his wife Bathsheba (II Sam 11). He found it unbearable as the suppressed guilt of his sin weighed heavily on him, and drove him to extreme distress. He finally conceded, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin" (v.5).

Commenting on the psalm, John Stott says, "...God can only cover our sins in forgiveness if we uncover them in confession." How true it is that when we hide our sins from God that He also hides his face from us. Instead of that, God now hides David's sin and becomes his "hiding place." The LORD becomes someone he runs to, no longer someone he runs from.

We too can make God our hiding place. But first we must come out of our own hiding place, confess our sins and be covered by his gracious forgiveness and loving protection.

Not hiding from God but hiding in God.