Day Seventeen
For most of us, “hide and seek” is a child’s game, one we tend to leave on the playground when we get older. But in Italy, at least for a few years, it was a very serious endeavor indeed. Christened the “Hide and Seek World Championship,” it featured contestants who gathered from around the world gathered in different villages in Italy each summer from 2010 to 2017 to prove their mettle in the rough-and-tumble world of the game Italians call “nascondino.”
The founders of the event talked about the opportunity it presented for adults to relive their childhood fun, and pointed out that it was, in fact, the most popular game in the world. As such, didn’t it deserve its very own world championship? They also added a more historical and philosophical excuse for the event, saying:
“Hide-and-seek has been around much longer than sports like football and basketball. Hiding is a part of every human being and forms a necessity to survive.”—Giorgio Moratti
That’s a pretty insightful remark in an interview about a children’s game. We are masters of hiding…hiding from others, from ourselves, and even from God. During Lent we focus upon all the ways we hide, and we allow God the freedom to search our souls and reveal the hidden places of brokenness that need to be brought to the cross. And one thing we discover is that we’re really good at hiding…perhaps it’s true after all that it’s part of every human being, a skill we’ve been honing for a long, long time.
Hiding is primarily a fear reaction, but it shouldn’t always be thought of in a negative light. Hiding is not always a bad thing. Sometimes we need to hide. Sometimes we need to take refuge, because sometimes we find ourselves in places and times of danger. It’s true in a literal sense, and it’s also true in a spiritual sense. In those times when we identify with the writer of Psalm 69 that “the waters have come up to my neck” (v.1), when we find our strength is gone and our resolve is weak…we need to step back for a bit and take some much-needed refuge. At those moments, the problem isn’t the hiding—the problem manifests in where we often choose to hide.
When we find ourselves in need of refuge, we have a number of choices at our disposal, and it’s fair to say that many (if not most) of them are not healthy. We can hide ourselves in our work, in our busyness, in our habits, or in a blanket of denial and false positivity that can cause a toxic backlog in our souls when it finally comes out. We can even hide ourselves in unhealthy ways behind things that are in and of themselves actually good—we can use family, friends, even church to avoid the need in our souls for rest and refuge. Hiding isn’t always wrong, but we need to examine what or who it is we run to when those needs arise.
The invitation in Scripture is to find our refuge in God. It is an image found all through the Bible:
“Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.”—Psalm 16:1
“His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”—2 Samuel 22:31
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.”—Nahum 1:7
The language of hiddenness is found throughout the words of Scripture. In the New Testament, those who have put their faith in Jesus are said to have their life now “hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3) It is an image of safety and security, of protection and care. It is an image of the very character of God.
There’s a story told about a wealthy businessman who asked two artists to illustrate peace, to depict a peaceful scene on canvas. The first artist painted a beautiful landscape of the countryside on awarm spring day. A cloudless sky, a picturesque farm house, soft sunlight on rolling hills, animals grazing in the field…everyone who looked upon the painting agreed: it was a perfect depiction of peace.
The second artist painted a majestic, rugged cliff. Gnarled trees, twisted by years of violent winds, jutted from the craggy mountainside. Dark and threatening clouds hung low and fierce, while jagged streaks of lightning slashed across the angry sky. The painting was a picture of violence, chaos, and rage.
The businessman was perplexed. But as he continued to look at this unsettling painting, he noticed something. There, in one of the crevices of the rocky mountain, tucked back just out of reach of the wind and rain-- was a nest with two tiny birds. Undisturbed by the raging storm, the little birds looked peaceful, calm, and cozy as they waited for the turbulence to pass.
We are living in chaotic, turbulent days. Storm clouds assail us from so many directions, and at times our need for refuge is great. That is not something to be ashamed of. Even Jesus needed time away from the chaos of his public ministry (though at times it eluded him). If the witness of Scripture is true, and it is, God delights in being our hiding place and our place of refuge.. He invites us to join our voices with the psalmist:
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
Will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
And protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”—Psalm 91:1-4 (NLT)
Lent is a perfect time to remember that God is our refuge and hiding place. As we lean more fully into our need for God and the truth of his promises, may this image bring us comfort and peace whatever storms we are facing.
You are my refuge,
You are my shelter,
You are my hiding place, forever.
I will run to You, I will rest secure,
In the presence of my Saviour.
You can read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection
1) Are there things to run to in your life for shelter and refuge that are not healthy? Why do they hold that attraction? How can you bring them to God in prayer?
2) How has God revealed himself to you as a refuge and hiding place? Offer to him gratitude and praise for his protective grace.
3) Read the whole of Psalm 91 slowly and prayerfully. How can you turn this psalm into a prayer you can offer to God?
4) What storms are you facing in your life now where you can see your need for God’s protective hand? What intentional steps do you need to make to spend time in the presence of Jesus, allowing the words of “Refuge” to be true for you?
You are my refuge
You are my shelter
You are my hiding place forever
I will run to You
I will rest secure In the presence of my Saviour
5) Read and reflect on these verses. Let them lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”—Psalm 18:2 (ESV)