A Hiding Place With No Walls

Sometimes the safest place isn’t where we are found…

It’s where we are held.

“You are my hiding place.” - Psalm 32.7

A Hiding Place With No Walls

My parents were busy doing yard work when they realized it was unnaturally quiet.

A quick scan of the landscape caused their hearts to race. By their calculations, it had been 15 minutes since they had last seen me.

I couldn’t have wandered far.

Still, I imagine they panicked.

Quickly, they searched, calling my name. Soon, the neighbors heard their cries and joined in.

High and low they looked, criss-crossing the yard, walking the road - yelling for me.

It was our keen-eyed neighbor, John Madison, who found me sleeping soundly beneath a tarp, lying on a bench in the back yard.

I don’t recall my motive for crawling under the tarp. But one thing is certain.

It was a good hiding place for an apparent tuckered-out little girl.

I never knew a small army of neighbors was searching for me.

In the shelter of the tarp, I simply rested.

Looking back, I see something deeper now:

Young or old, new to faith, or nearing your last amen, we all seek hiding places.

I’m not talking about a building with a roof and four walls, surrounded by an impressive boundary, or even a simple tarp like the one that shielded me.

No, this place has no walls, yet you’re surrounded.

In this place, there is only you and one other.

In this place, you know you are loved.

In this place, you are protected.

In this place, you are safe.

In this place, you can rest.

God is your hiding place.

When life shakes you, your faith fails, when you’re betrayed, you feel alone.

When you fall short. When you cry. When you’re anxious. When you get a frightening diagnosis. When someone you love dies. When life seems impossible. When you’re tired… so very tired.

Psalm 32:7 says, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

These words give us a beautiful picture of refuge, safety and His holy, powerful presence! Imagine yourself in His loving grasp.

Just as I was hidden and safe under that tarp, God is your safe haven. You can trust Him, run to Him and simply rest.

Really, it’s not about hiding.

It’s about being held by the God of the universe.

In your darkest moments, His embrace surrounds you, and He fills you with a steady hope and joy that endures.