Hide and Seek

Have you ever faced a hard situation in life? What about being tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t do? Yes to both? This isn’t surprising. Struggle and temptation are a universal experience. 

In His life, Jesus faced lots of hardships and difficulties. Jesus endured poverty, exhaustion, betrayal, grief, suffering, and feeling forsaken by God, just to name a few. Jesus also faced temptation, most famously in Matthew 4, but the Author of Hebrews tells us he tempted in every way. The obvious difference is Jesus was tempted but never sinned. 

So, how do we face trials in life?  How do we face temptation and overcome it? 

We are exploring the way Jesus taught his followers to pray in Matthew 6, and we see that he taught them to pray for strength to overcome. The message translation says it this way, “Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” (Matthew 6:13). 

How do we do this practically? How do we not fall to the temptations of the devil or become victims to the difficulties we face in this life? What are the ways we can live and pray to endure these things? We can face the struggles of life and overcome the temptation of the enemy by living a life in the protection of God’s presence and by turning our hearts to God in moments of  testing. 

Psalm 91 is an incredible source of encouragement for believers. Like, seriously, go read it next time you’re having a bad day. The writer says that we live under the protection of the Most High. In times of trouble, in moments of temptation, I believe we should HIDE in that presence. 

Now, it may not sound very cool that our response to temptation or difficulty is to hide, but this is not running out of fear; this is running to the one who is strong enough to handle whatever is coming at us. 

If we want to have strength in difficult moments, we need to live our lives in the presence of God. We should build our lives on God’s word. We should consistently commune with God in prayer. We don’t do this out of some lame religious obligation but because it is then that we find peace and strength in our testing. When we live in God’s presence, we are protected. 

There are lots of debates about what a Christian should or shouldn’t do, wear, say, places they may or may not go, movies they watch, etc. I think the most simple way to answer this is by considering, “Can I do that (whatever it is) and worship God while doing it?” See if we live our lives considering if we are welcoming God’s Spirit into each moment. Living in a way that honors Him, we are going to have a lot more strength when difficulties come. 

Psalm 91:4 describes us as hiding under God’s wings. Just as a baby bird hides under its mother in storms, so too we find protection when we hide ourselves in the presence of God. (See an amazing example of that here)

Let us cover our lives in prayer, “God, hide me in your presence today.” (See Psalm 25) “Lord, fill me with your Spirit.” 

A.W. Tozer said, “Nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God.” It is in God’s presence that we hide our lives, and there we will find safety and peace. 

What do we do when we’re in that moment of temptation, or maybe even been overwhelmed by the situation we’re facing? God invites us to SEEK Him. When we are tempted, we can turn to God, and He will help us. This is good news! We’re not all alone out here in the temptation and trial-filled world, just Han Solo-ing it. God will rescue us, help us, and deliver us in our struggles. When you face temptation, pray. When you feel defeated, pray. When you are overwhelmed… you guessed it, PRAY! 

I love the story of Peter walking on water. When he is overwhelmed and loses faith, he begins to sink. In this moment, we don’t see Jesus say, “Well, Pete, I guess I am going to let you drown this time because it really is your fault.” NO! Jesus helps him and saves him. The same is true in our lives. When you mess up, seek Jesus; he will help you! When you fail, pray, and God will be there with you. 

God wants to help you! He has given us his word, his Spirit, and the community of believers around us to help us when we are in need. The devil wants you to believe that God is mad at you, but the truth couldn’t be any different. God loves you and he wants what’s best for you and LOVES resorting people to a right standing with him. 

So when you face hardship and trouble, pray! When you’re tempted, ask God for help! 

Pray like this: 

“Our Father in heaven,

your name be honored as holy.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.”