Hiding Place Devotionalنموونە

What are you so afraid of? 

 She clung tightly to my leg as she watched the other children run around the playground. “Who can I play with, Mommy?”, she whispered up to me in a quiet voice. I could see the fear in her eyes as she was afraid to step out into something new. “I’m right here with you honey, but you need to go make some friends. You will have so much fun!” I told her as I nudged her to go join the other kids. The Hiding Place is a place of refuge, of shelter, of protection, and of peace. God wants to protect you, His child, just like you want to protect your children. And like Him, you would never lock up your children to guard them from experiencing the world. You want them to play, learn and have fun with other children. You desire community for them. When we became the grown-ups, the playground days were behind us. We get burnt a time or two and we decide to put up walls. We let fear overwhelm our hearts. Genuine community is out of arm's reach and we let fear take its place. Satan wants to keep you in a little box-of-fear. He wants you to stay home watching reruns and eating your third box of girl scout cookies instead of stepping out of your comfort zone and into community with other believers. You know what happens when you get in community? YOU GROW. In the book of Joshua, God is speaking to Joshua telling him “Be strong and courageous!”. He repeats this line to him three times. Do you ever get frustrated having to repeat yourself over and over to your kids and you think “maybe third time will stick?”. God must have been thinking the same thing. Joshua felt like he was facing the impossible, and God reminded him (over and over) that he’s right there with him. He has nothing to fear. Doesn’t genuine community feel impossible sometimes? It’s just too hard to open up to people and let them in. It’s so much easier to stay in your sweatpants eating your thin mints. Just like I tell my daughter I am with her wherever she goes, the Lord tells us the exact same thing! We have nothing to fear when we are hidden in Him!