Hiding Out?!?
Two weeks ago, Tim (our pastor) started talking about what it means to "hide" in Christ. He talked about how there are times and rhythms in our lives where God may be very well "hiding" us for a time. He used the examples of Christ - 30 years before any ministry that we know of - and Paul - around 14 years between his conversion and appearance before apostles in Jerusalem and his first missionary journey. It also appears that this season right after Easter is indeed a time, a rhythm of hiding in Christ, but we often want to "get going" this time in ministry. Tim's words have challenged me to hide out a bit - hence the rare posts on this blog and rare outputs other places as well.
I share this now, only as an invitation for others to join in this rhythm of hiding out for a while. Maybe this is not where God has you right now, so don't misunderstand me as trying to "hi-jack" what God is already doing in your life. However, you may be in that place where God is hiding you for a time and have struggled with the purpose behind it. I can give you no purpose, except to trust in the One who really knows.
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Thoughts on life and ministry
About Me
- Brian
- Journeying with as many as I can to find out the best life. I believe this means following God in the way of Jesus.
Other blogs to share
Books I'm Reading
- Christian Tradition vols. 1-3
- History of Christian Thought vols. 1-2
- "Torture and Eucharist" by William T. Cavanaugh
4 comments:
Brian, I like the IDEA of hiding out but sadly my reality includes times and rhythms of hiding out from God. I'm not proud of it but it is a truth with which I have had to deal. It comes on like the tide. Years ago I was not aware of its approach. Now I can put it on the clock or at least the calendar. It does not correspond to my emotional highs and lows but often triggers an emotional low. At my advanced age I have learned to believe that the hiding will not last forever and that while I am hiding God is not absent or unknowing.
Thanks Brian.
This really helped one of my friends who is going through a hiding period in his life.
Did the teacher talk about Moses' time in the desert and Jesus' first 30 years?
It is interesting how often this theme does appear in Scripture. God works through these times to bring out of them some good things. Sometimes I think WE do choose to enter into this rhythm, sometimes I think God chooses it for us and other times, it seems to me, we find ourselves there, but in the midst of all of those times, God still works. This term refining fire implies a discomfort in the refinding and I'm not sure its not the most accurate.
ah discomfort. discomfort often means there is something i have to adjust.
i think about discomfort in the way one of my middle school students described what happened to Zaccheus. We asked him why Zaccheus changed, and he said, "Jesus' kindness made him realize how mean he had been."
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