Isolated… but never from God.
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In this season of social isolation, it is so easy to feel hidden or forgotten. It is easy to believe that just because you are isolated, you have receded into the shadows…
One morning a couple of weeks ago, I watched the sunrise. That morning, the sun rose reluctantly. There were thick blankets of pink clouds spread over the grey sky. It looked as if a storm was brewing, so the sun could not display its usual morning radiance. In fact, that morning it seemed almost completely hidden.
Yet, the sun still rose. Eventually, its light pushed through and still permeated the entire sky. Daybreak still came, albeit without its typical grand entrance. The sun, although hidden, still accomplished its purpose here on earth.
It made me think about being hidden and I remembered David hiding in his cave…
Are you in a season where you feel hidden from the world? Do you feel as if you are exactly where God has placed you and yet, it seems as though all that you do simply fades into the background, unnoticed… in the shadows?
Sometimes, it is hard to continue pushing forward when it seems as if we are always receding in the shadows. It isn’t always easy to keep pressing in when we go hidden and unnoticed. It’s hard not to wonder if we are doing any good at all…
The truth is, it is ok if you find it hard to push forward in those seasons, as long as you don’t stop pressing into God. The danger of being hidden for a season is when we allow ourselves to believe the lie that we are also hidden from God!
King David can teach us much about those seasons when we are hidden. In 1 Samuel 22:1-3, David was forced to hide even though he had already received a wonderful promise from God.
Early on, he had received an amazing prophecy that promised a bright future awaited him. In fact, a prophet sent by God had already anointed him king. David knew that in God’s eye, he is king even though Saul still sat on the throne. After that, using nothing but the stones in his hand and faith in his God, David defeated the mighty Goliath at the battlefield. That victory led to an amazing new job at King Saul’s courts.
David thought he was just doing God’s work; he was exactly where God placed him and he did his work well. He honoured the king and fought all his battles to victory but the next thing he knew, there were angry arrows of jealousy aimed at him. Turmoil and discord seemed to follow him.
Eventually, David had to flee and hide. Yet, through all the turbulence, David is the perfect poster child for rest and being entirely submitted to the will of God. Despite having to flee to the Cave of Adullam, David remained at peace and he was willing to wait for God’s timing.
His years in the desert with his father’s sheep, the time spent in Saul’s court, and even his ill-treatment at Saul’s hands had taught him an important lesson that David carried all his life.
David knew that perfect peace comes from being IN the centre of God’s will and presence.
Even though he was being hid and seemed far from achieving God’s purpose, David was at rest because He was hidden IN God’s presence. The cave then became his place of further growth, training and waiting upon the Lord.
When we are hidden for a season, that’s the perfect time to press in for more of God.
We grow the most when God removes all distractions and keeps us hidden, sometimes in seclusion, where we can be shaped, refined and strengthened.
Sometimes, God does His best transformation in us through trials and tough circumstances. BUT He still works THROUGH us while he does!
“David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him” (1 Samuel 22:1-2).
David may have been in hiding but even there in the cave, God still used him to lead and command a small troop of men.
Remember this: when you feel hidden in the shadows, you are still accomplishing your purpose here on earth – just like the sunrise that still shone amidst the thick clouds.
You may not be at the forefront displaying the brilliance that God has placed in you YET but you are still shining His light. You may be in the cave, but just like He did for David, God is still working in, through and for you, to prepare you for what is ahead.
In His time, no different than what He did for David and with the sun on that cloudy morning, God will propel you forward so you can shine in His glory. In the meantime, rest… God is still very much with you. Continue pressing on with what He has placed in your hands and pressing in for more of Him. He sees you. Hold on to Jesus’ promise in Matthew 28:20 before he departed, “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
That was just what I needed to read this morning. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and wisdom with the world. ❤️
I love it that when God speaks and nudges, it’s never just for one person! Thanks for the encouragement 🤗❤️