You are my hiding place; you will protect from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

As a child growing up in a busy city, quiet and solitude were two luxuries and very rare. One day, my mother took us to the city’s public library, a prominent stone building with a massive collection of books and expansive wood staircases. At first sight, the place appeared daunting. My eyes scanned the floors, the architecture, the people, and the stacks of collective works. Everything vied for my attention; as an emerging bibliophile, I was like a kid in a candy store, but with determination, I set out to find my place. On the third floor, I found this secret place, my hiding place, amid the busyness and the noise. For hours, I lost myself in the yellowed pages of my chosen book without a care. A sense of tranquility and homeyness engulfed me, searing this experience forever in my memory. 

God, our Hiding Place

How interesting that God offers himself as a hiding place. Once we respond to the invitation, God becomes that place of security and safety. As we settle ourselves in him, He seeks us out. There’s a mutual exchange of hiding and seeking. What a beautiful display of God’s goodness and kindness when we think that he longs for his children to hide themselves in him.

We are mistaken if we think that apart from God, we can’t hide ourselves. The void in our hearts lends itself for a need to hide behind or in something. We all have heard of someone who calls themselves a workaholic. It is an acknowledgment on their part that says I hide in my work. Others may hide in a specific social status, academics, or wealth. 

The world calls to us. It provides ample distractions, some good and some bad. The objective, however, remains the same: to draw us away, to have us “get away” from the One who calls us to himself. 

What does the Bible say about the hiding place? 

God’s word has much to say about the hiding place or a “secret place.” According to the Lexicon-Concordance, “sether sithrah” in Hebrew refers to a place of shelter and protection. Not necessarily referencing a physical location like a vacation destination, but more of a positioning of heart and mind. Psalm 119:114 (ESV) also notes a hiding place- 

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word;

King David understood the need to make God his hiding place. He wrote from a place of necessity as he encountered physical enemies and a life full of troubles. Of course, David sought secret places to hide to escape his determined foes. Yet, he grasped an even greater urgency for spiritual communion with God, which led to a deep sense of rest, refuge, and peace. Before David became known on the kingdom stage, he was known by few and overlooked by all except God. As a mere shepherd boy, God nurtured, developed, and cultivated a heart that would later shepherd his people. In Psalm 78: 70-71, we see the progression of David’s leadership:

He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. 

We see from this passage that it was no mistake or coincidence that God would make David the shepherd boy to David the shepherd king. All the time David spent shepherding and hiding, to some, it looked like idleness and boredom. Yet, God’s ushering for David was to lead a nation. For David, his hiding place became a training ground, preparation central, and his lifeline. It provides the scope of imagery for him to pen Psalm 23 and give revelation to the reader of how we are to view God as our shepherd. David gained knowledge of God during his time in the secret place with God the Shepherd. The future king relied on his experience and gleaned from that season: protection, defense, refuge, strength, and rest. Overall, the revelation of David’s intimacy with God did not occur when he entered center stage but while hidden from all except from the One who knew him best. 

What are the benefits of finding our hiding place? 

The benefits are endless when we purpose to have God as our hiding place. These are foundational and sustainable throughout our Christian journey. They pay dividends that multiply in our lives and spread to our circle of influence.

1) Intimacy– As previously mentioned, first and foremost, by finding our hiding place, we experience intimacy with God. Psalm 91:1 (ESV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. When we seek our place in God, that proximity affords us a closeness so close that his shadow covers us. This intimacy becomes like a deep well, grounding us so we are not cast to and fro but are rooted and anchored in God’s word. 

2) Rest- rest has become elusive to many. For some, rest equates to being lazy or slothful. Yet, scripture cautions us to find rest in God as Jesus suggests in Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)- 

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble, and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”. Jesus, the Son of God, left us a recipe to seek rest that indicates that our souls will need it. The world’s objective is to keep our minds distracted, our bodies in motion, and our souls’ wanting. We are given the solution by using our hiding place as a refuge for rest.

3)Protection- Psalm 91 can be called the “protection” Psalm. Verse after verse explains how God will protect us from disease, terror, physical harm, disaster, and evil. Here’s an excellent place to address the “elephant in the room.” We know that many believers have experienced sickness, disease, danger, and a slew of horrible things. Psalm 91 and many others can appear contradictory, BUT the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. Then, what can we make of this? I’ll address a couple of things and move on. The purpose of this devotion is not to debate why bad things happen to good people but to make God our hiding place. We live in a fallen world, so we are bound to face the difficulties that come from that. God tells us he will protect us from our trials; however, there will be times when he will save us through the circumstances. We have faith in God’s sovereignty that as we deal with our earthly trials, he will use them for our good. Lastly, not to trivialize hardships, how will we ever understand hope unless we deal with hopeless situations? We wouldn’t know peace without anxious moments or courage without discouraging circumstances. Regardless, God offers us protection as we draw close to our hiding place; how he chooses to reveal that is up to him. 

4)Repentance and Restoration– After King David committed adultery, he penned Psalm 51. It is a proclamation of his sin and a poignant seeking of restoration of what he once had with God. The Psalm pulls back the curtain, exposing how the mighty David had fallen and his appeal to regain what he once experienced. David lamented the severity of his unfaithful act and the division it created between him and God. Verses 11 and 12 highlight this: 

Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 

David forfeited his relational standing with God due to his disobedience. David models the heart’s posturing and how to approach God in repentance and restoration. 

Blessed among all living creatures are we who have the unique privilege of engaging with the God of the universe in a secret place—a hiding place where we get to meet the God who knows our hearts best. As we draw near, God bestows upon us the benefits of the nearness to him. 

 

So, dear friend, I pray for an increased desire to go deeper into your hiding place where you will draw closer to the heart of God. 

Leave a comment and share with a friend if this has helped you. 

XO,

Katherine