My senior year of high school, our football team had just faced a tough loss in postseason play. Driving my friends back from the game in my trusty butterscotch beater, I felt the weight of disappointment. With my foot pressing heavily on the pedal, I glanced in the rearview mirror, only to see colorful lights trailing behind me. I reluctantly pulled over, and there it was – my first speeding ticket. I wished I could have hidden this mishap from my dad, but fate had other plans. Half the town drove by, witnessing the officer approaching my unique butterscotch car.
Just like the desire to conceal that speeding ticket from my dad, there are moments when I want to hide my flaws from God. Ignoring them or pretending everything is well seems like an easier path. It's a familiar instinct, echoing Adam and Eve's attempt to hide their sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Just as I couldn't hide my speeding ticket from my dad, our neighbor outed me before I could even confess. Similarly, God knows all – our successes, failures, and everything in between. Psalm 145:8-9 paints a picture of God's nature:
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
The God who knows us so intimately desires us to know Him too. In knowing Him, we don't need to fear the consequences of our sins. He is Gracious, Compassionate, Slow to Anger, Rich in Love. Just like accepting the consequence of my speeding ticket – paying the fine – when I get real with God, He walks me through life.
Are you hiding from God? Today is an opportunity to get real with God. He already knows.