Come Out of Hiding

When we hide, we miss the invitation of God’s presence. Zephaniah 3 paints a picture of God in our midst - a mighty warrior who saves, who rejoices over us with singing. He is not against us; He is for us.

It’s far better to face God with all our flaws than to appear righteous while turning away. When we face Him, He can heal. When we hide, pride grows. Pride leads to self-salvation - the false belief that we can fix ourselves and present Him with a tidy report. But self-righteousness is never true righteousness. Isaiah says it’s like filthy rags, and Paul reminds the Galatians that we began this life by faith, not by our own effort. We can’t perfect what God began by grace.

Breaking the Cycle

The answer to humanity’s hiding was always Jesus.
Through Him, guilt becomes forgiveness, repentance becomes freedom, and hiding becomes adoption. Romans 8 declares that we are no longer slaves to fear but sons and daughters of God. Mark 1 calls us to repent and believe - to turn back to the Father and trust Him again.

The old pattern - guilt, shame, fear, hiding - is replaced with a new rhythm: forgiveness, repentance, adoption, and perfect love. The relationship is restored.

And God doesn’t just deal with surface sins. He goes deep - circling back through our lives again and again, not to shame us, but to reach the roots. Each time He brings us around the mountain, He takes us deeper into freedom.

When Attitude Gets in the Way

There’s a powerful example in Elijah’s story from 1 Kings 19. After his great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah fled into a cave, overwhelmed and self-focused. God asked him, “What are you doing here?”
Elijah’s response was full of entitlement: I’ve done all this for You; I’m the only one left.

God’s reply was simple - go back. Anoint others. Pour into the next generation.
In other words: stop sulking, start serving.

When Elijah obeyed, everything changed. He found Elisha, invested in him, and was later taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. What began in hiding ended in glory.

Draw Near Again

James says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Revelation 3 paints the picture of Jesus standing at the door, knocking - not to accuse, but to share a meal. God’s first question to Adam wasn’t “What have you done?” It was “Where are you?”
Grace comes before correction. Presence comes before repentance.

So, if you’ve been hiding - whether in fear, shame, or self-reliance - this is the invitation:
Come out. Face Him. Let grace meet you first.

When you come to Him, you find freedom.
When you find freedom, you discover purpose.
And when you discover purpose, you make a difference in the world.

You were never meant to live behind the trees.
You were meant to walk with Him again - in freedom, in purpose, and in love.