Prayer: Father, may I increase my meditation of Your Word in this year. Help me to hide Your Word in my heart as it gives me strength against sinning against You. Amen.
Reading: Psalm 32 key: vs. 5
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You
and did not hide my iniquity. I said:
“I confess my transgressions to Adonai,”
and You forgave the guilt of my sin.[b]
Selah
Attention: The key is “acknowledging” my sin to God. He already knows because of His omniscient character. I cannot hide anything from Him. Adam and Eve thought they were hiding, but how naïve of them to think that they could hide. Jonah tried to flee from God’s presence (Jonah 1: 3) and discovered he could not succeed in eluding the Almighty. Neither can I.
I have used this illustration before from my high school days. I played football and every game was filmed. They placed a super eight-millimeter camera on top of the Stadium roof so that it was perched, looking down on the field of play. Every Monday, we met as a team and reviewed the game film. Each player’s successes and failures were captured on film. We could not avoid the eye in the sky and the coaches loved to replay our mistakes. I will never forget a session where a lineman missed a block, and our running back was tackled or sacked immediately for a loss. Every time the film was replayed, the result was the same. The effect was, we worked to not repeat a missed block again.
The awareness that I cannot elude the presence and the all-seeing eye of God is valuable to my walk with Him. I can either embrace His presence and seek to stay in His presence or be miserable in my attempts to elude Him.
I can attempt like Jonah or Adam and Eve to hide or avoid God, but it is not going to happen. He cares that much for you and me.
Action: I will stay in the Word daily as it increases my awareness of who God is and of His presence.
Yield: I am surrendered when I acknowledge and welcome His presence.
Engaged: I am engaged when I stay in His presence.
Relationship: I am in full relationship when I run to God and not from Him.
Prayer: Father, I recall times when I felt unworthy of Your love when involved in secret sin. I felt I could not pray because I knew I was away from Your presence. Thank You for the restoration of relationship repentance brings. Like David, I want to stay in Your presence. I never want to be separated from Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Memory Verse: Psalm 32:8
8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.
I will give counsel—My eye is on you.
Music Video: You Are My Hiding Place – Selah (Worship Song with Lyrics)
Remember, “Abide in Jesus, today!”