When We Run From God, We Run Into Him

When Adam and Eve sinned they hid from God.

[8] And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

God asked Adam, “Where are you?” It’s as if God was asking Adam, “Do you think you’re God now?” God makes it clear throughout Scripture that you cannot run from Him.  No man can hide from God.  If man can hide from God, that would make you equal to God.  Even the people that are in hell are experiencing God's judgment, not God's separation. According to Psalm 39:7-12, no man can escape God.

 [7] Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? [8] If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! [9] If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, [10] even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. [11] If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” [12] even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Do you ever feel like you're running from God?  Or feel like you are covered in darkness? Why do you think we believe we can run from God? The answer is, if we actually could run from God; that would make us like God. If we can actually hide from God that would make us equal to God. The fact is, when God chose you, sin can no longer separate you from God. Psalm 139:8, says, “even if I make my bed in hell, God is there!  If your sin was bigger than God's presence or love that would make you equal to God. I hope you see the amazing truth and love of God. He let’s nothing get between you and Him. Paul says in Romans 8:37-39

           

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It may feel like at times that we are separated from God, with some of the sin we commit, or the sin that is committed against us. But the absolute truth remains; we are always in the presence of God.

Remember this Christian, when we run away from God, we run into Him.

What I learned from Job

Job is one of the best books we have on learning how to suffer well. I have learned the same lessons that Job learned regarding my own suffering; how inward I go when I hurt.  I have looked at my own righteousness and justification, spending a lot of time rationalizing why I shouldn’t be suffering or spending a lot of time pondering on the good things that I have done (my righteousness) and therefore should not have to suffer.  Simply, I play the victim.

Job did this same thing. In chapter 31 Job spends the whole chapter speaking about how good he's been on Earth. He claims he fed the hungry; he clothed the naked. If you read all of chapter 31 in almost every verse Job says “I have done” this or that. In chapter 32 his friends even quit talking to him because they realize Job was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu comes on the scene in Chapter 32 and rebukes Job for justifying himself, or making himself seem like a god. In Job's mind and heart he had no reason to suffer; in Job's mind and heart he had no right to suffer because of all the good he had done. This is where I go when I hurt. I point out other people’s sin to the point where I can't see my own sin.

God comes on the scene in chapter 38 and almost sarcastically rebukes Job. It's like God is saying “really Job, you have done all these things? That was you who clothed the naked? That was you who fed the hungry?” God basically blesses Job by telling him, “you are not God”

I don't think the sin of self-righteousness just suddenly came out of Job, I think it was there the whole time, but it took suffering for Job to reveal the sin of self-righteousness. The same thing has happened to me.  The past several months have been the hardest season I can recall but at the same time I realize how self-righteous I had become. Yet God has blessed me the same way he blessed Job by saying, son, you are not God”. 

You know what the amazing thing is? In Job 42:5 Job says, “Before all this happened to me it was my ears that heard of you, but now my eyes see You!” This is amazing because Job now sees God even clearer than before. God used Job suffering to open him up more to His presence. I too, can say (now that I can repent of my self-righteousness) I see God in a greater way than before.

The depth of my sin reveals the Depth Of God's Love

Several months ago, I asked God to open my eyes more to Him. I was waiting for the blissfully overwhelming “good feelings” from a closer God. (When I say closer, I mean to say having my eyes more open to His presence, because the believer is never separated from God). I thought having my eyes more open to God meant my life would be less weighty, but what happened is I became weightier than ever.

I believe what God did was open my eyes more to my sin. Even a lot of the good things I was doing had wrong, sinful motives. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to so many sinful nuances I had been blind to. I believe we have a ton of sinful nuances that we are not even aware of and that it would only take God the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see them. I think we would all be surprised how much we really sin. There are so many cracks and crevices in our flesh where sin can hide. My question is, how does sin hide? I think that's another blog.

At first I couldn't believe this would be the answer to a closer God. It is hard for me to believe that's what God has for me when I pray so fervently for a greater revelation of His presence in my life. God then showed me that the depth of my sin reveals the depth of God's love. God wasn't trying to show me how bad I was as much as He wanted to show me how good He was. I hope you see what an amazing grace this is. The more I see my sin; the more I cling onto His grace from the cross. It's still weightier but there's joy in the midst of weightiness.

In addition, I see that there is really no cure for sin; just death. The patient with sin just dies and there is no hope for a cure just death. Christ became my sin, for which there was no cure, so He died. Jesus couldn't beat sin. However, the good news is He beat death! Now I have the resurrected victorious life of Christ in me, so now when I sin I don't go inward to beat myself up as a form of payment for sin. Now I can live a life of thankfulness and humility because the depth of my sin reveals the depth of God's love.