I woke up this morning with a song called Out of Hiding (Father's Song) by Steffany Gretzinger in my head. And so, this will be today’s blog post bread.
Hiding from Him only makes things more grim. This song is a Father’s heart perspective, from Him to us:
Come out of hiding
You're safe here with Me
There's no need to cover
What I already see
You've got your reasons
But I hold your peace
You've been on lock-down
And I hold the key
'Cause I loved you before you knew it was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles, My victory's yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There's no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You're not far from home
And now I'll be your lighthouse
When you're lost at sea
And I will illuminate
Everything
No need to be frightened by intimacy
No, just throw off your fear
And come running to Me
'Cause I loved you before you knew it was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles, My victory's yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There's no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You're not far from home
You're not far from home
Keep on coming
And oh, as you run
What hindered love
Will only become
Part of the story
Baby, you're almost home now
Please don't quit now
You're almost home to me, yeah
(Songwriters: Steffany Gretzinger, Out of Hiding (Father's Song) lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkDqQtfs0w)
This song takes me to the passage in Genesis where it talks about when sin entered the world:
“Then Yahweh-God called Adam’s name and asked, ‘Where are you?’”
Genesis 3:9
The footnote says, “When Adam first sinned, he should have gone immediately to God to he’d for mercy and forgiveness. Instead he did just what millions are doing today: he ran and hid from God so that God had to come and find him. God knew where he was hiding but wanted Adam to admit his shame. The first question God asks in the Bible: ‘Adam, where are you?’ shows that we belong to God. He longs for each person to examine our own lives, be honest with Him, and come out of hiding.”
Hiding from Him only makes things more grim, which means depressing or worrying to consider. All God ever wanted from His creations was friendship and intimacy.
When we sin against ourselves or God, a layer comes between us. When we sin against each other, even more layers come between our hearts. So, layer by layer it becomes harder to connect with ourselves, God, and others. Disappointment, regret, guilt, shame, trauma, and unforgiveness all put layers between people.
Adam and Eve took fig leaves to cover themselves up. What are you using to cover yourself today?
Remember in the garden, in the beginning, there was no shame in their nakedness. But, today when we do something we feel ashamed about, we want to cover our nakedness within. This causes us to feel grim, which also means forbidding or uninviting.
I want to go back to the song and go over this final part. At the end of the song it says,
You're not far from home
Keep on coming
And oh, as you run
What hindered love
Will only become
Part of the story
Baby, you're almost home now
Please don't quit now
You're almost home to me, yeah
One time in a worship service, I got this impression that I could see our Heavenly Father standing at the top of a hill looking for His son or daughter to come home. He kept checking. Every day. Checking. He wasn’t mad or disappointed. He was anticipating their return.
When you realize the barrier within and you confess it and asked the Lord for forgiveness, there is a returning to our first love moment. And that embrace!!!! It is a long awaited embrace with someone you have loved and haven’t been able to see. Wow!! What an embrace. This, I believe, is how the Father will and does embrace us. This is an inside feeling since we can’t see our Heavenly Father, but once you understand His presence, you can feel Him often. That embrace puts a smile on your face and will always bring a cheer from ear to ear.
Embrace!!
I hope this post encourages you to come out of hiding. His embrace will only bring a smile onto your face. And remember, that cheer comes from Him and that smile was created by Him. So, be at peace and release it. The Father is anticipating and ready to receive it. Sometimes you don’t know that you need it until you receive it.
Amen.