Logos -- Jeremiah 23:23-29

One of the lectionary readings for this week is
Jeremiah 23:23-29. Take a look at these verses:

Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.

I was reading Ortberg's God is Closer than You Think. He says that one of the ways that we miss seeing God is through spiritual hiding.

Two of the most famous spiritual "hiders" were Adam and Eve. Think back to the beginning of Genesis. After Adam and Eve ate of the tree that they were supposed to leave along, they became aware of their nakedness, and they hid in the garden.

How do we hide from God when we sin?

• Are we hiding from God when we try to deceive ourselves? Are we hiding when we rationalize, make excuses, blame others for what we have done wrong?
• Are we hiding from God when we avoid prayer? Are there times when it is easier to not pray than to encounter God in true conversation?
• Do we ever avoid the other people in our community of faith because we know that God will speak to us through the other members of the body? Do we avoid accountability measures when we sin?
• Someone said to me once, "I don't understand why people keep the radio turned up loudly -- when I do that, I can't think." I told her that there were times when I didn't want to think. Most of the time, when the radio is turned up, it's because I just want to "experience' the music. Are there times, though, when we distract ourselves from self-examination when we know that the results would not be pleasant to encounter?

Why do we fool ourselves into believing that we can hide from God? Do we not understand how big God is? How he surrounds us, lives with us, and is never far away? I wonder if we remembered his continual presence, if we would avoid these hiding traps.

Image: Squirrel from the park today. These are very brave squirrels. They walk right up to you, glaring at you, and trying to convince you that you should give them your snack.