Looking for a Place to Hide?

 

Do you know the feeling?  You would just like a place to hide.  This life can be exhausting.  Yes, the busyness.  Yes, the work.  Yes, the responsibilities of being a spouse, parent, friend, son/daughter, etc.  Oh yea and a category five hurricane is coming (Hurricane Rita).

 

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.  (Ps. 27:5)

 

When I was a small boy, I can remember hiding.  In particular, hiding in my closet.  When our children were small, I can remember one of them covering both eyes with her hands and saying, "You can’t find me."  As an adult, there are moments when I would like to hide.  Do you ever feel that way?

 

I get very tired.

 

Tired of the frustrations and disappointments of this life.
Tired of people who are forever critiquing instead of helping.
Tired of feeling hemmed in by the fears of others.
Tired of me and not living up to my own expectations.
(And oh yea, a category five hurricane is approaching)

 

Is that normal?  Yes.
Is that human?  Yes.
Could that move me or anyone else toward God?  Yes.  (And I don’t say that "yes" without really thinking about it first)

 

Hear again the Psalmist,

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (27:1)

 

What I want to learn to do is "seek his face" (27:8) and to "…behold the beauty of the Lord" (27:4).  Hmmmmmm.  I like that phrase, "…behold the beauty of the Lord." 

 

When I feel overwhelmed (as I do at this moment), I become consumed by various problems.  (Often these are a combination of problems at home, at work, and within myself).  These frustrations and issues may be beyond my ability to fix or repair.  It is especially frustrating when I feel like I ought to be able to do something.  At times, the frustration is rooted in my desire to somehow meet the expectations of others.  The human, fleshly part of me wants to accuse, lash out, justify myself, etc.

 

"Don’t look at me, I’m not responsible for…"
"If you want to know who created this mess…"
"You would feel this way too if you knew that…"

 

Do you know what really helps me when I feel this way?  Gazing at the Lord’s beauty.  That’s not just talk.   I’m very serious. 

 

Can you recall going to the mountains and just getting lost in it all for a week?  I remember spending a wonderful week in the Smokey’s, staying in a cabin in Townsend,Tennessee.  I still remember early morning walks down the winding mountain road and how I would get lost in gazing at the trees as the morning awakened.

 

Can you recall going to the ocean and late in the evening after the sun went down and the people moved inside, listening to the waves crashing?  The air felt fresh and clean.  That is beauty.

 

The mountains and the ocean are great places to be.  Why?  They, in some way,  reflect  the beauty of the Lord.  When I gaze at him, I am reminded that the one who loves and cherishes me–always–is good–always good.  His beauty is found in his character.  He is like no other.

 

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!  (27:13-14)