A TIME TO HIDE.
MEMORISE:
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. Isaiah 26:20
READ: Proverbs 22:3-5
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
MESSAGE:
Our Bible reading for today tells us clearly that there is a time to hide. Exodus 2:1-2 tells us that Moses was born at a time when all male children born to the nation of Israel were to be killed, so his mother hid him. If she had not hidden him for those three months, he would have been killed and his purpose for coming to earth would have been truncated. There is a time to hide. In Exodus 12:21-23, the Almighty God told the children of Israel that He would be visiting Egypt that night. He asked them to hide in their homes and not come out. Oh yes, the God we serve is the Almighty God, but He Himself says there is a time to hide. In 1Kings 17:1-3, after Elijah went before Ahab and prophesied that there would be no rain or dew until he called for it, God told him to hide. The word of God says there is a time to hide.
When I was much younger, my father declined an invitation to join a particular political party because the principal of my school belonged to an opposing party and he didn't want that to cause problems for me. The party members said "Oh, so it is because of this boy that you won't join us. Let us see how old the boy will be before he dies". He came home, told us and I ran. I was in hiding for thirteen years. If I hadn't fled then, you probably would not be reading from me today. There is a time to hide.
There is also a time to come out of hiding. In Exodus 3:1-12, after Moses had been hiding for forty years from Pharaoh, God came and told him that it was time to come out In 1Kings 18:1, the Almighty God said to Elijah "Go, shew thyself unto Ahab". I want to believe God for any user of this devotional whose star has been hidden up until this moment that from today, your star will begin to shine. God has a timetable for each individual; you have to be in constant communion with Him to know what season of your life you are in per time (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Jesus worked by God's timetable for Him. He stayed in hiding for thirty years until it was time to come out. Don't come out before your time. Some people feel that because they can preach then they should start a Church. Some think that because they can compose songs then ii is time to release an album. God has a timetable for you. If you come out when you should be hiding, your star could be crushed. Stay in constant
communion with God so that when He says "Hide ", you hide and when He says "Come Out'', you come out.
KEY POINT:
If you come out when you should be hiding, your star could be crushed.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 1-3
HYMN 16: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST.
1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Bef…
