YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE
Psalm 32
“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.”
The hiding place is a secret hideout where we can get away from the madding crowd. It signifies a desire for peace, seclusion, or a tranquil escape from hectic social existence. It often is a place where one can view the vastness of nature, like atop a hill, or the vastness of the city. This sense of space (see Psalm 31:8) helps us to slow down, to consider possibilities and to breathe.
The idea of a secret hideout however connotes that it is a place that we sparingly use and only when we desperately need the comfort it gives us. We savour the little time we have before we have to go off and face the harshness of life again.
This is far from the reality when it comes to God. Yes his Presence is precious but not because it is rare. The problem with us all is that when something becomes familiar and readily available, and when we experience it frequently, we begin to hanker for something different.
The other issue that causes us to neglect our hiding place is how life captures our attention and demands our time. Most of the time, these matters sap our soul and spirit and yet we give in to their demands.
What we need to do is to make our hiding place a room we visit regularly, like our bedroom, or the living room where the TV is.
God does not restrict our access to him, certainly not so as to help us appreciate him better. This is because access to him is vital for our soul and spirit.
God does not command us to slavishly perform the rituals of entering into his Presence daily. This is because the nature of the relationship he desires from us requires our choice and our acknowledgement of who he is to us.
But when we do seek him out, when we come to him in faith and in love, his unfailing love will surround us and nourish us.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.”