“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’” Genesis 3:8-10 NLT
Guilt from sin has a way of creating a desire to run away and hide. Of course for most of us that is not possible, but the feeling is there. Will I be exposed? Will this shame go away? What if ‘so and so’ found out? I will just lay low for a while until time passes you say to yourself. You do not want to be around anyone. You cannot hide so you live with the guilt feelings. Your sin may never be exposed but you cannot get over the guilt.
Just as we cannot hide physically from others without a legitimate reason for our disappearance, we cannot hide from God. We may think by sheltering ourselves from others that also includes God. It does not. In fact, God knows why we are trying to hide ourselves while others do not. The Lord is aware of every sin we have committed. It is in His sight of vision. We cannot hide it or hide from Him. Laying low for a period of time will not keep the Lord from finding out..
Adam and Eve found this to be true after they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They knew they had sinned before God and instantly felt shame. Their first reaction was to run and hide, of course, after they tried to cover themselves. That didn’t work either. Adam and Eve could not hide from God and neither can we. Our shame may be unbearable but hiding from God will only prolong the situation. Perhaps the Lord is calling you in the midst of your garden of shame, answer Him with full confession, no excuses, and have God restore you to full fellowship with Him and quit hiding from God.
