Hide and Seek

“And their eyes were opened and they recognized him”

Luke 24:31a

There is an old joke about a man stranded in his home during a huge flood.  First, a boat came along and offered to take the man to safety.  “No need,” said the man.  “I have faith.  God will rescue me.”  A few hours later the waters had gotten higher.  Now the man was sitting on his roof.   Another boat came and offered to take the man to safety.  “No need,” said the man again, “I have faith.  God will rescue me.”   The waters continued to rise until the man was standing on the very peak of his roof.  This time a helicopter came along.  They offered to lift the man off the roof and take him to safety.  “No need,” insisted the man, “I have faith.  God will rescue me.”  Well the man died and went to heaven.  Standing before the Lord, the man asked, “I trusted you.  I was so sure you would rescue me.  Where were you?  Why didn’t you come?”  “What do you mean?” asked the Lord.  “I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”  The problem wasn’t that the Lord didn’t come.  The man just failed to recognize him. 

Sometimes we are like the man in that story.  We look for God yet fail to recognize Him.  We seek for him, but it’s as if he is hiding from us.  I think of the man who committed adultery, who was sure God had left him.  “I pray,” he said, “But I know he’s not listening.  Why would He listen to me, after what I have done?”  There was the woman with cancer. “I pray and pray and pray but the cancer only gets worse,” she said.  “Where is God? Why doesn’t He answer?”  Sometimes, it’s just the routine of life.  Every day becomes so much the same. “How’d my life become so boring? So empty?  Where is God?”  Perhaps you are listening for God’s calling.  One person asked me, “How do you know what God wants you to do?” You pray for His guidance but you can discern no answer.  Where is He?  It’s like God is playing a spiritual game of hide and seek – hiding Himself and trying hard not to be found.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Take the story from the Luke 24, about two men walking to Emmaus on that first Easter.  They were talking with each other about all the terrible things that had happened in Jerusalem – about the crucifixion and death of Jesus.  While they were talking Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them.  At first they didn’t recognize him.  They told him about all the things that had happened.  They even told him about the wild stories of the women, that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Still they didn’t recognize Him.  He started speaking Scripture to them.  Still they didn’t know it was him.  It wasn’t till he agreed to stay with them… until “he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it them” that “then their eyes were open and they recognized Him.”

Notice that the problem was not that Jesus wasn’t there.  He was there.  The problem was with them.  Like the man in the flood, they were blinded by a lack of faith. 

So where is God?  Is He playing hide and seek, not wanting to be found?   Far from it.  He’s playing hide and seek, the way my grandkids do.  They run and hide but then tell you where they are hiding.  Our God and savior hides Himself so that He can be found.  He hides Himself right where He tells us He will hide Himself.  He comes in a pastor telling us God forgives us as the beginning of our worship.  He comes in water and the word at baptism.  He comes in the words of Scripture read… spoken and preached.  He comes in bread and wine to give us Himself to eat and drink.  He comes in our fellow believers – in their listening ears, their kind words, their acts of service and support – for He lives in His people by His Spirit.  He comes in those in need but He said, “I was hungry and you fed me… I was in prison and you visited me.  I was naked and you clothed me… For whatever you did  for the least of these my brothers, you do it unto me.”  He comes as He did for those two disciples… to open our eyes… Why hide Himself in these ways?  Because He is the Almighty God.  He is too much for us to see face to face right now.  So He hides His glory in places and in ways so that as he did for those two disciples – our eyes might be opened to Him.  Yes, He’s here.  Do you recognize Him?  Amen.