Hidden

This little squirrel was perched on the edge of the birdbath in my flowerbed the day before Christmas.  I like the way it looks like he's hiding behind a green, leafy plant hoping no one would see him.  He was hard to spot, but I think it was his dark, shiny eye that gave him away.

Sometimes we feel the need to hide from physical danger, as this little gray squirrel did.  Other times we hide our feelings so they don't get hurt, or some even hide their true intentions in an effort to deceive.  There are various reasons that people hide something and it appears to me that most of those reasons have negative connotations.  The squirrel was hiding for fear of being captured or harmed by a predator.  After all, it's a jungle out there for little creatures -- even in my backyard.

It's a jungle out there for us as well -- in this world where both visible and invisible warfare is being waged every day.  Some days, we'd like nothing better than to hide from it all.

For those whose Father is God Almighty, we have not only an Advocate to fight for us, but He also offers a shield to hide and protect us.  I love the verses in Psalm 91.  It begins with:  "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" verses 1-2.

While God promises to protect us and hide us when necessary, we can be assured that nothing is hidden from Him.  He always knows everything there is to know about us.  From before we were born -- "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place" Psalm 139:15, to the number of hairs on our head, to the day we'll join Him in heaven:  "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" Psalm 139:16.

What a blessing to be so well-known by God and still so well-loved and well-protected.  "How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!" Psalm 92:5.