Page 13 - Hide and Seek

Chapter Five Chapter One

about the condition of the Hebrew people. Although the
people were hidden away in captivity under the oppression
of the Egyptians, God affirmed that He had seen their
affliction. (Exodus 3:7) Even when we are hidden and
buried in our greatest affliction, God can see our
condition. God is able to see the hurt beneath the masks
that hide our pain.
God told Moses He would send him to bring the Hebrews
out of Egypt. When Moses heard his assignment, he asked,
“Who am I?” His true identity was hidden for so long;
unmasked, he now didn’t recognize himself. Moses had lost
perspective of his own purpose in life. For 40 years, he can remember the words as if I spoke them yester-
believed he was nothing more than Jethro’s sheepherder. I
day. Out of frustration and disappointment talking
Moses also needed clarity about God’s identity. What is His to myself I said: “I want to go somewhere,
anywhere and be regular and normal.” I wanted to
name? Personal insecurities, lead to spiritual insecurity. find somewhere I could hide-a-way and blend into the back-
Our faith in God is limited by the fears and inhibitions we ground of life and not be noticed. I was tired of dangling on
have about ourselves. We question who God is, because we the edge of faith, in public view, while others watched to see
have unanswered questions about who we are.
if God would reel me in. I was looking for a place where
God reveals His identity, saying to Moses: “I am that I am”. God would leave me alone; some place where I could get
The Hebrew word used here is “hayah,” (haw-yaw), which lost in the shuffle; I wanted a hiding place where I could
means to exist, to be, or to come to pass. The definition cover up the “calling” on my life and all the open wounds of
describes God as one that has always existed and one who failure and disappointment.
continues to exist in every dimension of time; the past, the
present, and the future.
My destiny and purpose had come to a screeching halt.
God is present everywhere. We can run to avoid a personal
encounter but there is nowhere we can hide to escape His The vision and promises our family had been living for
pursuit. appeared to be shattered and broken. We had arrived at a
station in life that had hopelessness written all over it.
Knowing he can’t escape the call of God, Moses tries to We could hear the rumors whispering our fate and ruin in
disqualify himself. He hides behind his imperfections and the background of the Christian circles we traveled in.
argues the believability of his burning bush meeting with
God. The Hebrews will not believe that he has seen God.
Exiled for so long, they will think his imagination has taken I had become somewhat of an outcast. I served as Pastor for
advantage of him. five years in a denominational church. In the third year of
that pastorate, I had a personal encounter with the Holy
They will not believe a man coming out of hiding. He would Spirit that renovated my entire relationship with God.
need proof or evidence that he has met with God.
Strongholds of sin begin to be broken. I could sense an

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