Today, Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week), ends. My knowledge of Te Reo is very limited. Devotions are something I share in groups I belong to. This week, in an effort to acknowledge this important week, and with the help of an on-line translation app, I offer this devotion … (from Friday night, 20th September 2024) …
Ko wai kua takaro huna me te rapu? Who has played hide and seek?
He keemu tawhito It’s an old game (An age-old game)
Ko taku hiahia kia whai wa tatou ki te takaro inaianei I wish we had time to play it now
engari kaore matou but we don’t
Ko wai e huna ki nga wahi ngaro, e kore ai ahau e kite? e ai ta Ihowa.
“Kare ianei i whakakiia e ahau te rangi me te whenua?” e ai ta Ihowa.
Ieremia 23:24
Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:24
If you find the best hiding place in this building, or wherever you play hide and seek – the Lord still knows where you are. He finds you in the secret places. You know, sometimes we hide not because we are playing a game but because we have done something wrong and don’t want to face the person we have wronged. Adults do this, as well as kids – sometimes we try and hide from God.
In the Bible one example is Adam & Eve. When they disobeyed God and ate the fruit in the Garden of Gethsemane, they hid in the garden. GOD CALLED OUT TO THEM. You can never hide from God. Because God knows where you are, I want to encourage you NOT TO HIDE FROM GOD. God is in all places at all times. That can be hard to understand but can you say that with me …
GOD IS IN ALL PLACES AT ALL TIMES.
[At this point we broke for Kai (dinner) so this grace was offered]
Arohanui a Ihu Dear Lord Jesus
Manaakitia to tatou huihuinga harikoa Bless our happy gathering
me te manaaki i tenei kai e kai nei tatou and bless this food that we eat
Tiakina tatou katoa Save (Protect) us all
a awhinatia matou ki te tupu i roto i to aroha and help us to grow in your love
Amine Amen
[After Dinner we continued]
When we look around us and see the sky, the grass, hills, pastures, the bush covering the hills … and we recognise it as God’s creation, it helps us understand something of who He is and what He is like. The fierceness of a storm can remind us of God’s power. If we think about the markings on a butterfly’s wings – we can recognise a God with attention to detail. As the universe is explored, it just keeps going and more and more is found – this reflects God’s vastness, His timelessness and constant presence.
In the scheme of things – God is so, so big. We, you and me, are so, so tiny. HOW DOES GOD FIND YOU? [Discussion]
The verse I used earlier …
Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24
Also – He created you and cares for you. He seeks after you.
I also talked about playing hide & seek … isn’t it fun to do, even now with kids. We start when a baby is in our presence, with ‘peek-a-boo’ …
how many times have we pretended not to see kids when they hide behind their hands or perhaps under a blanket right in front of us. We see them … God sees us … but He is not playing game, He seeks you and longs to hear your voice.
He patai taku I have a question
He aha koe e huna ana? What are you hiding (from)?
There a lots of examples in the Bible of people hiding from God.
- Elijah hid in a cave
- Adam & Eve (as mentioned) hid behind trees
- Jonah jumped on a boat and hid in the cargo deck
As people we are really good at it. Sometimes we aren’t even aware that it is God we are hiding from – perhaps we don’t even give God a thought. If we already know God and even if we are trying to walk closely with Him, we still make excuses. We may be prompted by God, or friends …
You could pray … Or I could eat chocolate.
You could read the Bible … Or I could escape inside this novel.
You could reach out to a friend … Or I could reach for a blanket and hide under it.
Are you hurting? Even though you know what you “should” do, you don’t do it. You know to make emotionally and spiritually good choices: to pray, read Scripture, invite God and others to support you. But those steps take effort and show you are vulnerable, it exposes your weaknesses. I’m pretty good at hibernating rather than taking the risk to reach out … but you know, GOD OFFERS LIFE – life in all its fullness. Now that does not mean a problem free life, but it does mean the God is “keen as” to be right alongside us through all the ‘stuff’.
Zephaniah 3:17 in Hebrew means God spins like a top with delight over us when we seek Him and spend time with Him
