Hide and Seek
By: Chaplain Jaylynn Lawrence
I think there is a misconception that being a chaplain means that we walk in a blissful cloud of the Lord’s presence — the one that joyfully carries us throughout each day. I’m going to be completely frank with you: the walk of life is hard regardless of where you find yourself in your spiritual journey.
Over the past few months, I found myself navigating challenges I wasn’t prepared to face the trial of an excruciating injury, the heavy burden of an increasing workload, a spouse navigating a major life change, and the worst blow of all—losing our four-legged “fur kid” who was truly the center of our world. If I’m
being honest, there are some days when my “Why, God?” statements get the better of me. If I were a betting woman, I’d venture to guess I’m not the only one seeking answers from God during life’s most difficult moments.
While I long for the answers, I’ve begun to think that the desire to know all things is what got us into trouble in the first place. A pesky, devious creature whispered into Eve’s ear, “your eyes will be opened…” (Genesis 3:5) and she
was sucked into the first phishing scheme in recorded history. I suppose that this fraudulent conversation was actually more like a computer virus, because it ultimately infected Adam, too. And here we are, more than 6,000 years later (we can save the “Science vs. Bible” debate for another time), still wanting to know more than we were ever created to understand.
“It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.” Proverbs 25:2 NLT
“At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.” Matthew 11:25 NLT
“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT
The point is, I want real faith—an unwavering, unquestioning, “all-in” with God kind of faith. I’m not going to get that if God simply hands me the answers to my every challenge. If you look at the verses above, He actually wants us to uncover them; it’s our privilege to discover them. When we find those answers, we find God—and we find Him right in the middle of our situation.
Matthew 11:25 says Jesus thanks God for revealing truth to the childlike. We have all heard children go through the “why” stage: “Why’s it do that, Daddy?” Well, just as simple as that, in a fit of tears and on my knees, I asked: “Why Daddy, did you take my sweet fur kid! Why are you not healing my back, Daddy? Why Daddy, did you bring me here to this job because its crushing me?”
Important disclaimer loading… if I seek Him and these answers, my future actions become accountable to all that has been revealed. Is it possible God won’t reveal the answers until He’s confident I’m fully capable of handling the responsibility that comes with this kind of wisdom?
The “bonus round” in this supernatural scavenger hunt is that when we find ourselves talking to God—asking Him to show us the answers to our “whys,” we are no longer walking through the situation out alone, but rather, in the blissful cloud of the Lord’s presence. It might not always feel joyful, because we live in a very broken world, but we are talking to the One who has all the answers—the One who will always be found when we seek.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we seek You in the middle of our unexpected circumstances, hardships, and heartbreaks, trials and tribulations. We long to find You in the darkness that seems to close in around us at times. Light up our path so we can follow You through our tribulations to the truth hidden behind the hurts. Lord, train us to be good stewards of the wisdom we earn. And Father, open our eyes to see Your unconditional love and goodness in everything around us as we navigate the difficulties of this life. Amen.