We don't need to play hide and seek with God
I snuck around the corner to eat my ice cream bar hoping Baxter didn't see me. It was silly. He goes crazy when he sees anyone eating in front of him. He can't help himself. He is a puppy and he was rescued from a hoarding situation. He was one of 24 dogs living in a home. Food was scarce. He had to fight for every scrap.
We got Baxter six weeks ago. He is adorable. He is so loving and full of kisses. Alas, when it comes to food, he does a Jekyll/Hyde transformation. He attacks his supper like there is no tomorrow. He savors treats like they were bits of fancy caviar. It doesn't stop there. If he sees us eating, he starts barking. He wants us to know he sees us.
It is not easy living life under the scrutiny of a jealous watchdog. The other day I grabbed a snack. Baxter appeared out of nowhere. He heard the crinkling of the paper. That's all it took for him to go bananas. It's like he has eyes everywhere and he's just waiting for you to try to sneak something past him.
As I stood there steeped in guilt, trying to hide from my dog, it suddenly dawned on me that a lot of us do the same thing with God. When we do something that we know is wrong, or at least questionable, we run and hide from him. We don't want God to see us because we are afraid of what he'll do.
Part of the reason for these fears may be traced back to Rev. Jonathan Edwards. He preached a terrifying sermon in 1741. It was titled, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." It sparked the first Great Awakening in American history.
The message depicted Hell with vivid imagery and emphasizes God's wrath on the unrepentant sinner. Those images still remain in our collective consciousness today. Some people envision God as just waiting for us to stumble so he can punish us. He becomes judge and jury and leaves us with little hope. No wonder they run and hide from God instead of embracing him. Who wants to face the consequences of our sin? The answer is no one.
That's where the good news comes in. I'm reminded of Paul Harvey, who always told us that there was more to every story. It's true of Edward's message as well. What's often overlooked is the fact that he wraps up his historic sermon by pointing to the hope of salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. It is his selfless act of love that saves us.
Here is the truth: God loves us. We don't need to play hide and seek with God. He isn't sneaking around waiting to catch us when we fall. God is there with outstretched arms to embrace and restore us when we come to him. His grace is sufficient to cover all our sin and to give us new life now and forever.
Maybe it's time for a new Great Awakening in America. It only takes a spark. It might be your story or mine that gets it going as we tell our friends and neighbors what God did for us. If you need a title for your message, how about this one: "Sinners in the hands of a loving God." It's a story of hope and salvation that we know firsthand.
God bless!
The Rev. Cal Lord is the pastor of Central Baptist Church of Westerly. Reach him at calstigers@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: We don't need to play hide and seek with God
