O Lord Jesus Christ, the birds have their nests, the foxes their holes, and Thou didst not have whereon to lay Thy head, homeless wert Thou upon earth, and yet a hiding-place, the only one, where a sinner could flee. And so to-day Thou art still the hiding-place; when the sinner flees to Thee, hides himself in Thee, is hidden in Thee--then he is eternally defended, then 'love' hides the multitude of sins. -- Søren Kierkegaard, Prayers of Kierkegaard
Our Lord homeless, yet a hiding place. That is such a beautiful description. Yes, everything Jesus was, everything he had, everything he did was for us. There are many verses in the Bible, especially in Psalms, about God as our hiding place. David needed a hiding place a lot in his life, and he worshiped the Lord as his hiding place.
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7
You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 (ESV)
The Hebrew word is cether (סֵתֶר). It means "a covering," "hiding place," or "secret place." I found this commentary that so sweetly describes what that means:
"David calls the Lord 'my hiding place' (Psalm 32:7; 119:14), and his Psalms are rich with the imagery of being hidden in the Lord (17:8; 31:20). David often had need for a tangible hiding place when he was persecuted, but with the eyes of faith he could see that his true spiritual solace came only from the Lord Himself. David's other metaphors for God (shield, tower, fortress) picture His protection, but 'a hiding place' is different. It is a secret and private refuge, shared by no one else, away from the world and its turmoil. It is where a believer can go to find rest for the mind and spirit in the privacy of personal communion with the living God. -- Dr. C.J. Williams, Professor of Old Testament Studies at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (emphasis mine)
"... a secret and private refuge, shared by no one else, away from the world and its turmoil." This reminds me of a secret hiding place I had when I was young. We lived in a new and growing plat of houses and there were tons of kids around. Something we all loved to do was to play hide-and-go-seek tag. One person was "it." Everyone else scattered all over the neighborhood and the poor "it" person had to track somebody down and then chase that person until they tagged them. Then the tagged person was "it." This could go on for hours. A kid could go inside, eat lunch and come back outside, and no one would know.
We all found our favorite hiding places, but mine was the best. In a field of long wavy grass, full of mounds of dirt, and abandoned construction debris, I discovered a hole in the ground. It had been covered with a piece of plywood and dirt long ago and now grass grew on it. It was completely concealed unless you happened to run over it, which is how I found it. It was the best hiding place ever. No one ever found me there. For an introvert it was the perfect resting place. No one knew where I was. I could hide there, not just from the other kids, but from my home life too. In my hiding place I didn't have to perform or pretend or "save" anyone or try to meet someone's impossible emotional needs. I could hear all the commotion outside, the kids yelling and chasing each other. But there in the darkness, hidden under my covering of plywood, with one little shaft of light shining down, I was safe and free for a moment. In the secret place.
Psalm 31 identifies the secret hiding place of the people of God as His Presence. It is His Presence that is God's intended dwelling for each of us.
How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. Psalm 31:19-20
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 (NKJV)
"God has a secret hiding place, and He invites each of us to join Him there. Notice that He does not invite us to visit. The promise is to those who 'dwell' there. To 'dwell' means we live there. It becomes our address. God invites us to pack up and move to His secret place. To do so we must walk away from the clamor and enticements of the world. We must be willing to quiet our hearts before Him and allow Him to investigate those inner recesses we reveal to no one else. Secret places imply honesty and trust. We cannot join God in His secret place unless we are willing to be transparent and honest with Him." -- Got Questions, What does the Bible say about the value of a secret place?
Yes, Lord! May I make your secret hiding place my permanent address! Give me grace to flee there and to lay before you all my sins, for you have made the way for healing and forgiveness, and all my fears and weaknesses, because in you alone are my trust and strength. And make me learn to dwell always with you there in the secret place of your Presence.
Image in the Public Domain from pxhere
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