June 19 I Sunday

Nehemiah 12-13

Acts 4:23-37

“As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”

—Proverbs 26:11

We are not meant to make our home in the same sins and transgressions endlessly. In fact, we are not meant to come before God and throw them up in confession only to return back to the very things that we just threw up in confession. To break the cycle of sin and to free God’s heavy hand from upon us, we must seek the Lord sincerely through prayer. David writes, “Therefore let all the faithful pray to You while You may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding-place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” 
(Psalm 32:6-7). David recognizes that God is not simply the Forgiver of our sins; He is also our hiding place, our Protector and Deliverer from a life of sin. 

       Do we remember playing hide and seek as a child growing up? When we were a child, sometimes, we did not pick the best hiding spots. I remember playing with my sons when they were really young, about ages two and three. They would hide in such a way where anyone could see them in plain sight. But as a child, sometimes, we think that if we cannot see the father, the father cannot see us. My kids would hide behind the curtains, and it would be obvious as there was a huge dent in the curtain and some feet sticking out. In the psalm, David is telling us to make God our hiding place; He will protect us from calamity. Do we make it a priority to make God our hiding place? Do we hide in the shadow of His wings? As we make our home in Him, His deliverance becomes our experience.

       David not only receives relief from the weight of his sins, he is also given a deeper gift. In Psalm 32:8, God breaks into David’s prayer and declares, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.” David is brought into a relationship with God. As we abide in Him, God abides in us and is at work instructing us, teaching us and counselling us.

       Do we sit long enough to hear His voice as we study Scripture? Do we give Him enough time to teach us in the way that we should go? On this Father’s Day, may we acknowledge that God is our Heavenly Father. He is our perfect hiding place, a place filled with songs of deliverance, a place of instruction and teaching, and a place of counsel under His loving and watchful eye.

Prayer: Lord Heavenly Father, You are my perfect hiding place—please protect me from trouble and surround me with Your songs of deliverance. Thank You, Father.