“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” – Psalm 32:7
Have you dreamed about finding your own little “get-away?” Maybe you have wished you could just sneak away for the weekend. Or, perhaps somewhere in your own hometown there is a secluded place you return to when you are feeling busy and overwhelmed. Sometimes, when life is particularly stressful, just the thought of a place like that can be very appealing. It makes me wonder, What is it about a hiding place that sounds so good?
Like many children, I was always looking for hiding places. I spent hours looking for a secret passageway or a hidden crawlspace. One time, I made a secret hiding place of my own. I had a huge dresser in my room and I learned that if I took all the drawers out, and threw a blanket over the holes, I could crawl inside the dresser and have my own little refuge. I enjoyed decorating the space. I crammed a pillow, a doll, a picture, and even a lamp with a long cord, inside my “secret” hiding place. I do not remember that I ever did anything spectacular once I had the space all set up. I imagine I sat there and basked in the secretiveness of it all. Nobody could steal my hiding place (mainly because nobody else could fit inside); it was mine.
Think about all the stressful things that life can throw our way: people at work, deadlines at school, chores to finish, bills to pay, families to raise, dinner to cook, repairs to make, and the list goes on. Some days you may feel as though you are running from here to there and you never find relief. But Jesus knows! He has made Himself available to us every hour of the day. When we are scared, overwhelmed, troubled, or when we just want to hide from the evil world, we can know that Jesus is there. Jesus is our own hiding place! He is our shelter and our protector; we can curl up in His love and feel at peace. There is no better hiding place on this earth.