Experiencing God's Presence #174

Experiencing God's Presence #174

I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city, searching in all its streets and squares. I will search for the one I love.”

Song of Songs 3:2

“Close your eyes and count to one hundred,” says one child to the other, and the game begins. The hider finds the most obscure, unexpected spot within the designated boundaries, and the seeker finishes counting and sets out looking and listening for evidence of a friend who doesn’t (but really does) want to be found. It could be frustrating if it went on too long, but it doesn’t. All hiding places are eventually discovered. The revelation of the hider is only a matter of time.

God plays games of divine hide-and-seek, and they are meant to be fun. He makes Himself obscure—frustratingly so for those who don’t understand there’s a game on—and waits for us to find Him. There’s something about our quest that warms His heart; He enjoys our searching. And He rewards it too. He doesn’t hold His position so long that those with true faith will lose heart and give up. He shows Himself to those who keep seeking (Jeremiah 29:13). He wants to be found.

If God seems obscure, don’t give up your search. Let Him enjoy your seeking—an endeavor He fully intends to reward. Like the beloved in the Song of Songs, go into all the streets and squares of your life in pursuit of the One who loves you. Know that “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter” (Proverbs 25:2, NIV), and He does it simply to see who is serious enough about Him to search it out. If you really desire His Presence, you won’t quit until you’ve found Him. And He will make your quest worthwhile.

Lord, I know You’re there. I’m certain, even when You make Yourself scarce, that You enjoy our companionship. Please lead me in my search for You as I journey deeper and deeper into Your will and Your ways.