“Quick grab some fig leaves and hide!” That’s pretty much what Adam and Eve said to one another after they sinned against God. We’re not too different. We sin, try to cover it up, then run from God. We hide behind excuses and self-justification, then escape to social media, gaming, alcohol, sex, sports, or any other mind-numbing thing we can get our hands on. The problem with this age-old cover-and-duck strategy is that it separates us from the only One who can pull us from the quicksand of sin, guilt, and shame.
God’s voice is a friendly one
A.W. Tozer said, “The voice of God is a friendly voice. No one need fear to listen to it unless he has already made up his mind to resist it.” You see, even when we sin, God speaks. If we listen, we’ll hear His calm, gentle voice drawing us back into intimacy with Him. But if we resist, if we run, we begin to fear His voice, and our misery deepens.
The Holy Spirit surprised me the other day. I was hiding behind several games of Candy Crush when He asked, “Why are you running? You haven’t done anything wrong – you just “think” you have. He explained that in this Christian life, we may think we haven’t done enough of something (praying, Bible study, helping others), or we may think we’ve done too much of something else (talking, agreeing, giving advice). The thing is, God’s perspective is different from our own. He knows our heart. He knows we’re learning and growing, and He gives us plenty of room to do it.
Oh, my friends, when will we learn to run to and not from Him? Whether our sin is real or perceived, the only place to get things sorted out is in His presence. He tells us to come to His throne of grace boldly, not timidly.
So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.
(Heb. 4:16*)
He wants to talk things over with us. He likes to reason with us and explain things (Isa. 1:18). We just need to stop long enough to hear what He has to say. Jesus has already made a way for us to approach God with confidence and assurance. God isn’t waiting to strike us down but to lift us up.
Remember grace
Next time you have the urge to cover and duck, remember God’s grace and kindness. We are his sons and daughters. He’s not an abusive parent, a mean boss, or a stern principal. He’s our Daddy (Rom. 8:15). His grace is available at just the right time. His voice is a friendly one. You will hear it if you will only listen.
Grace is God loving, God stooping, God coming to the rescue, God giving himself generously in and through Jesus Christ.
John Stott
*GOD’S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God’s Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.
Such true words! How we perceive God will cause us to run into His arms or run away from Him. Thank you for always revealing the truth of who He is to hungry hearts.
Gayle, you’re so right that how we perceive God has everything to do with how we respond to Him. He really wants us to TASTE and SEE (try, prove, affirm, validate) that He is GOOD, doesn’t He? (Psalm 34:8) Tamara