Hiding
Psalm 32
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Hiding. We all do it. Eve did. After her fateful sin, the first thing she and Adam did was hide—hide their nakedness from each other, then hide their sin from God.
Saul hid. Faced with the prospect of becoming Israel’s leader, he hid among the stuff on the day of his official kingly appointment.
David hid, too. He hid from Saul. David feared for his life at the hands of this once fearful king. David hid his sin. His secretive murderous plot eventually took the life of his own child and brought perpetual turmoil within his family.
Why do we hide? Fear. Fear of failure, fear of exposure, fear of punishment, fear of responsibility, fear of loss. Yet God reiterates throughout His Word, “Fear not.†We are to fear neither people nor possibilities. God is sovereign. But God also says, Fear Me. “Fear God and keep His commandments….â€
In Psalm 32, David admits that he has been hiding. And He affirms that when we keep silent, God has a way of making us uncomfortable. Yet, when David acknowledges his sin and takes his iniquity out of hiding, he finds forgiveness and a greater covering. The very God from whom he wanted to hide, now becomes His hiding place.
When we come clean with God, who already sees and knows, He offers protection and victory over the very things we try to keep from Him. He covers our sins, surrounds us with songs of deliverance, and encompasses us with His mercy.
What are you hiding? What do you fear? Will you hide from God or in God?
Oh safe to the Rock that is higher than I
My soul in its conflicts and sorrow would fly
So sinful, so weary, Thine, thine would I be
Oh blest Rock of ages, I’m hiding in thee.
—Sarah Fletcher
Tennessee
