Hide and Seek

UV 637/10,000 Hide and Seek “And I will wait on the Lord, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.” Isaiah 8 v 17 As children, for most of us our favourite game was hide and seek. One would seek and all would hide. The simple game is popular as it is based on the joy and excitement of discovery. But, in real life One would hide and all would seek. The living God would hide and all mankind would seek in a huge variety of ways according to their traditions and according to their imagination. He even hides His face from His own people, the house of Jacob or the nation of Israel. So much so, the Jews even to this day go to the Wailing Wall, shake their heads to and fro, wave their bodies and chant their prayers with much wailing as if that were God. But, the Lord says, “ I am the wall- Come to this wall, pray and wait.” God has made all things apparent in the universe. It is evident to the simple and faithful but hidden from the wise and learned. The universe with its sextillion stars and heavenly bodies and formations is a reflection of His infinite nature. He is so immense- one cannot find Him. He is so immense that one cannot “ not find” Him in everything in the universe. The Hubble telescope in space has uncovered a constellation in the shape of a cross right at the center of the universe. Medical scientists with the help of the electron microscope have found a cross-shaped protein called laminin between the cells in the human body. He is there hidden in the macrocosm as well as in the microcosm. Out of fifty billion planets in just the Milky Way, the Earth is the only one that is populated and teeming with life in all its abundance. The Earth’s axis if it were tilted a little more or a little less, life could not have sustained on the planet. The sun’s distance from the Earth is so carefully calibrated that if it was a little closer, it would have been unbearably hot and if it was a little further, it would have been unbearably cold. So much so, it would be apparent to someone with even an iota of common sense that the theory of evolution is the best example of science fiction. But, what the Lord has hidden from human knowledge and understanding in the universe, He has made apparent and explicit in the uni-verse- His Word revealed through different chosen vessels in different periods of time through the ages. All we need to do in our lives is to trust that Word and wait on the Lord to show up in our lives and our life situations. I have often wondered at that self-fulfilling phrase employed in marital ceremonies: “ for better or worse.” No wonder, marriages are better at the beginning and keep getting worse. Instead, we should believe and say, “ for better through verse.” Yesterday, I watched and listened to the fantastic message of an Australian billionaire. He was till the age of 26 intellectually challenged, slow of learning, knowledge and understanding- a bricklayer by profession. One evening he heard the gospel from the mouth of a man called Billy Graham. The gospel is God’s power to change human lives. He experienced the joy of God discovery and self discovery, victories not available to a Columbus or a Captain Cook. His self perception changed. His enthusiasm for learning was quickened. The very word “ enthusiasm” means the energy of God. He waited on the Lord, meaning He took God at His Word literally and expanded his vocabulary and learning immensely. He quit his job and failed in business thrice before going on to head a world-wide corporation. He said that he was paid a million dollars for a fifteen minute consultation. He had put his hope in the Lord and His Word. The Word of God is the visible and explicit expression of the invisible and invincible God. Through our faith in it, He will manifest or make visible His mercy, grace and power. The Word of God is the manifesto of God unto man. The word “ manifesto” carries in it “ festo” or celebration. It will enable us to celebrate the faithfulness and power of God in our lives. Prateep V Philip