Can We Hide From God?

“Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?”
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24

Where Can I Go from Your Presence? Listen to Kelly sing as you read these words from Psalm 139:

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too, your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful – I can’t take it all in!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon You’d find me in a minute—you’re already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvellously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
….
Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong- then guide me on the road to eternal life.
Psalm 139

In the first eighteen verses of this psalm, the psalmist acknowledges that God knows everything that the psalmist ever does, no matter when or where he does it. Although God’s vast knowledge of an individual’s deeds can be reassuring for the righteous, it should be frightening for the wicked.

For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:12 Phillips

So just as He is loving, watching, patiently waiting for us to cry out to Him for help, He is also observing every move we make. So what we think, believe, embrace, how we live out our lives; if it doesn’t line up with His Word, it will not change the reality of this fact:

For I am closely watching you, and I see every sin. You cannot hope to hide from me.
Jeremiah 16:17 Living Bible

Just as He offers us peace, forgiveness, security, an eternity in Heaven with Him… if we decide we’re not interested, if we turn our back on Jesus, the only one who can save us, there awaits a judgement.

Jesus promises He will return to Judge the World:

“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why?

Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” Matthew 25:31-46

“God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and He’s calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:31

That Jesus was raised from the dead is not some fantasy – there were hundreds of witnesses who testified to the fact that they saw Him, spoke with Him, ate with Him.

For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

If this is news to you and you want to know more, follow this link.
Are you running from God today? If so, why not stop, turn around and go back home where you belong?

If you’ve heard this before and you aren’t interested that’s your choice, and God will never push His love onto anyone but eternity without God is not something to be ignored.

Only the Lord knows! He searches all hearts and examines deepest motives so he can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds—how he has lived. Jeremiah 17:10

As this information brings eternal consequences for us all, please share with those you love.
2016 Elaine Costin – CapturingSunrise.com