No Need to Hide Anymore
The other day, my friend was telling me a funny story about her young son getting into some of his father's tools in the garage. He'd been told before that he wasn't supposed to play with the tools, but he was so intrigued by all the shiny metal that he just couldn't help himself. He'd made a big mess, and when his father came around the corner and saw him, the young boy ran into the house and hid behind a chair in the living room.
As I listened to the story, it reminded me of another son who hid from his father many years ago. In Genesis 3, God called to Adam in the garden, "Adam? Where are you?" Adam answered, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." See, Adam had disobeyed God, and because of his shame, he felt like he needed to hide from God.
How often do we do this today? We sin or disobey God and feel ashamed, guilty, and condemned so we try to hide. But in reality, how can you hide from Almighty God? The truth is He doesn't want you to hide from Him. He's not mad at you; He's madly in love with you! He's not looking to punish you because Jesus already took your punishment. Now, you can go boldly to the Father and receive mercy instead of judgment. You can go to the Father and receive love and grace instead of punishment.
Remember, the Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear. God loves you perfectly, and you don't ever have to hide or be afraid to come to Him. If there's anything in your life that's keeping you away from Him today, let it go. Just imagine Him standing before you with His arms outstretched ready to receive you with all the love, grace, and forgiveness you'll ever need.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16, NLT).
As I listened to the story, it reminded me of another son who hid from his father many years ago. In Genesis 3, God called to Adam in the garden, "Adam? Where are you?" Adam answered, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." See, Adam had disobeyed God, and because of his shame, he felt like he needed to hide from God.
How often do we do this today? We sin or disobey God and feel ashamed, guilty, and condemned so we try to hide. But in reality, how can you hide from Almighty God? The truth is He doesn't want you to hide from Him. He's not mad at you; He's madly in love with you! He's not looking to punish you because Jesus already took your punishment. Now, you can go boldly to the Father and receive mercy instead of judgment. You can go to the Father and receive love and grace instead of punishment.
Remember, the Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear. God loves you perfectly, and you don't ever have to hide or be afraid to come to Him. If there's anything in your life that's keeping you away from Him today, let it go. Just imagine Him standing before you with His arms outstretched ready to receive you with all the love, grace, and forgiveness you'll ever need.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16, NLT).