You can run, but you can’t hide
Published 12:03 am Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Church Corner
“Again and again I sent all of my servants the prophets to you.”
They said, “Each of you must turn from your evil ways. You must change the way you act. Do not worship other gods. Do not serve them. Then you will live in the land. I gave it to you and your people long ago. But you have not paid any attention. You have not listened to me” (Jer. 35:15 NIRV).
Wacked weather, global economic uncertainty, job instability, several countries (Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran) seeking the “mother of nuclear bombs,” the Taliban in Pakistan, bird flu last year and the swine flu knocking on our door this year – what the heck is happening in our fragile world today?
No, I am not one of those doomsday preachers proclaiming an angry God pouring out his wrath and sending divine judgment on us. I am, however, one of those many preachers who continue to proclaim we have left God and we are now experiencing some of the consequences of our choices.
You see, we used to be “one nation under God” and “In God we trust!” But today we have told God to “but out of our business and we will call you if we need you.” I believe God is respecting our decision yet in his love he is refusing to give up on us and is using these consequences to warn us before it is too late.
When I was about 9 years old, my brothers and I were roughhousing in our bedroom. We started off playing respectfully and quietly but ended up shouting, fighting and destroying our entire room. How did we get so out of control? Who knows. It was probably my younger brother’s fault.
Nevertheless, we had plenty of warnings from our mother that things were getting out of hand. Our mother, bless her heart, from the next room kept saying “If I have to come in there, you’ll l be sorry!” Did we stop? Of course not! We’d heard that warning plenty of times before. It was the “same old same old” routine. We had learned by Mom’s tone of voice, when to take her seriously. She would start out calmly and escalate from there. When she reached the “shouting at the top of her lungs” level we knew we had better take action. It was at that point we would drop everything we were doing – then run and hide.
Usually, she would rush in, let out her frustration by shouting words we didn’t understand, wailing her hands profusely, frothing at the mouth and stomping up and down. Well, we actually didn’t see this because we were hiding, but it sounded that way. Once she had a chance to share her feelings, she would usually feel better and walk away relieved. But not this time. When we instinctively sensed we had crossed the line, we immediately hid.
Being the oldest, I had first dibs on where to hide. I thought, based upon the routine, I had found the perfect hiding place. Boy was I wrong. As soon as my mother burst on the scene she began banging the door against the wall. Unfortunately, I had chosen to hide behind the door.
All I remember is that my head went back and forth like a boxer’s punching bag. My mother, caught up in the heat of the moment, was also confused because my younger brothers courageously appeared out of nowhere and without saying a word – pointed behind the door.
When she looked behind the door she was startled to find me in a daze. Startled and concerned, her motherly instincts kicked in and she immediately embraced me and comforted me.
God, just like a loving parent, tries to warn his children when they are in danger of bringing harm upon themselves and others by disobeying his word. He is so patient and understanding that he continues to try to reach us. He most often uses preachers, teachers and other Christians sharing his word to warn us and call us back. If we purposely ignore or avoid these warnings, he will use life’s circumstances to draw our attention. If we continue to rebel and harden our hearts, he is forced to discipline us.
Just like any loving parent we can wear out his patience. Ouch, and then it really hurts! However, it is neither his purpose nor pleasure to bring about such heartache.
He does not enjoy the discipline. Let us not excuse our sin or rationalize our behavior when we do not see God’s immediate discipline. Let us stop hiding behind closed doors thinking we will not be found. You might end up on the wrong side of God’s anger with a headache you will never forget.
Remember, “You can run but you can’t hide!”
