When God Hides - Martin Wiles

Hiding is a normal part of life.

I am familiar with hiding. Apart from the regular game of hide-n-seek, my cousin and I often invented other hiding games. We invented imaginary giants to hide from in my grandfather’s barns. If we chose to play cowboys and Indians, one of us would hide.

The hog pens also provided ample opportunity for hiding. Amidst the mud lay areas of broom straw taller than us. We enjoyed aggravating the hogs. After doing so—since we knew our grandmother would soon appear and scold us—we ducked between the straw.

Hiding began when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and thought they could hide their sin. And it’s been happening since then because we’re born with a sinful bent that leads us to disobedience. When we disobey, we attempt the same thing as our first parents.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8 NIV).

Jesus once hid from two of his followers who were walking the Emmaus Road.

“But they didn’t know who he was, because God kept them from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16 NLT).

They saw him, but they didn’t recognize him. Jesus feigned ignorance about what had happened to him, so the two informed him about the death and reported resurrection. As he ate with them, their eyes were opened. They recognized who he was.

God has created in us the ability to know right from wrong. Although we do wrong from an early age, we reach a point when we recognize wrong. After that, our failure to admit the wrong makes us want to hide like our first parents.

God can also hide from us—perhaps to stretch our faith. He’s there, but he makes his presence less prominent. He wants us to stretch for Him, to realize our need for him, and to let our faith deepen.

When God hides, he tests our resolve. His apparent absence makes us consider the seriousness of our love and service for him and our sincerity about whatever task we undertake.

Times of absence may also signal that God is busy preparing circumstances—or even us—for something different or better. God hid from Moses while he lived on the back side of the desert tending sheep, from Elijah while he hid in a cave, and from Joseph while Joseph languished in a foreign country.

But God never truly hides; it only seems that way. In those times, we need to pause, trust, pray, and ask what he’s up to.

Father, in times when it appears You have left me, guide me to seek You more than ever so I can discover what You’re up to. 

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Hearing the Horn - Martin Wiles

And Samuel replied, “Yes, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 NLT

When the horn blew, we knew it was time to come home.

As a child, I never knew the type of technology our current generation enjoys. My friends and I played the standard games—hide-and-seek, cowboys and Indians, Red Rover—but we also made up many games. Since our grandparents lived on a farm, my cousin and I were good at it.

Cell phones hadn’t been invented, but my grandmother invented a unique way to tell us when supper was ready. She walked outside, opened the door of her blue Ford Galaxy, and pressed the horn. The silence of the woods was broken only by the sounds of nature, so a car horn stuck out like a sore thumb. When we heard it, we immediately quit what we were doing and returned home.

The little boy Samuel didn’t initially hear the horn. He confused it with Eli’s voice. After several times of hearing what he thought was Eli’s voice, Samuel was told it was the Lord’s voice. The next time he heard the voice, he told God he was listening.

Silence is necessary to hear God’s voice. It was why my cousin and I heard the horn. Had we been near a road where the sounds of traffic continually bombarded our ears, we couldn’t have distinguished the horn.

God can speak amid our noisy lives, but the chances are high that we won’t hear Him. Time is required. My cousin and I gave time to the woods and the animals that lived there. We listened to their sounds, observed their likeness, and learned what made which sound. We’ll never learn to hear God clearly if we don’t spend time with Him.

We must also have a heart to obey. If God knows we have a disobedient streak, He’s not likely to reveal His plan. Our hearts must be tender and anxious to obey, so He’ll reveal His plan to us as He did to Samuel.

Additionally, we must deal with unconfessed sin. Sin prevents us from hearing God when He speaks, but confession clears the air so we can perceive clearly what He is saying.

Name some things that keep you from hearing God.

Father, I ask that You help me hear clearly when You speak. 

I invite you to try my newest book, Life's Many Moods: A Collection of Poetry, in eBook or paperback. Throughout the years, poets have expressed emotions in various ways through the picturesque method of poetry. Click on the title above to order your copy today. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Homemade Biscuits

 

Ingredients

2 CUPS SELF-RISING FLOUR

2/3 CUP BUTTERMILK

¼ CUP OIL

1 TEASPOON SUGAR

Directions

MIX BUTTERMILK, SUGAR, AND OIL. STIR UNTIL BLENDED WELL.

ADD FLOUR AND MIX WELL.

ROLL OUT BISCUITS ON A FLOURED SURFACE.

CUT BISCUITS AND PLACE IN A GREASED PAN.

BAKE AT 450 DEGREES FOR 10 MINUTES.

If you enjoyed this recipe, why not try one of our devotions? 

 

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Brought Low - Martin Wiles

They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. Numbers 12:2 NLT

He envied the ducks—and wanted to be one.

As the turtle in the pond listened to the ducks describe their travels, he longed to visit the places they went. Of course, being a turtle, he couldn’t travel far or fast. One day, two of the ducks offered to help him. One of the ducks said, “We will each hold an end of a stick in our mouths. You hold the stick in the middle in your mouth, and we will carry you through the air so you can see what we see when we fly. But be quiet, or you will be sorry.”

Loving the idea, the turtle snapped onto the stick, and away they flew. Over the trees. Around meadows. He saw flowers on the hillside. This new perspective on the world amazed the turtle. 

As they flew across venues the turtle had never seen before, suddenly, a crow passed them. Seeing a flying turtle amazed the crow, who said, “Surely this must be the king of all turtles!”

When the turtle heard the crow’s remarks, he said, “Why certainly . . .”

But he never finished his statement. Opening his mouth caused him to lose his grip on the stick. He fell to the ground below—stripped of his newfound adventure, his life, and his pride.

Pride makes an awful bedfellow, as Aaron and Miriam discovered. They may have been Moses’ siblings, but this didn’t stop them from a prideful attitude that led them to think they should have a more significant part in leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. When they complained, God humbled them—especially Miriam. Perhaps she had led the charade. A little temporary leprosy reminded her and Aaron of whom was in charge.

Selfish, sinful human nature makes it easy for pride to slip into our lives unawares. It did with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He walked across the roof of his palace and marveled at the great kingdom he had built—or at least that’s what he thought. God brought him down by sending him into the fields to live as a wild animal for a period. As with Aaron and Miriam, he learned his lesson the hard way.

Pride causes us to forget our place. God is the Creator; we are the created. We don’t tell Him what to do; He tells us what to do. It might appear pride elevates us, but it takes us down a notch or two or three. Aaron seemed to have less pride than Miriam. When he saw God’s punishment for his sister, he humbly pleaded for her.

Pride can lead to relationship problems. Being friends with people who think they are better than us can be difficult, and being the spouse of one of those folks can be even more problematic.

The list of where pride can lead us is long: anger, selfishness, unreliable reasoning. Pride also opens us up to Satan’s temptations. After all, pride led to his downfall. He wasn’t satisfied with being an angel. He wanted to be God.

Remembering who we are and who God is keeps our perspective correct and lets humility reign instead of pride.

Don’t let a prideful spirit ruin your life.

Father, remind me often of who I am and of who you are. 

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God’s Plunder Room - Martin Wiles

My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live in Egypt. Deuteronomy 26:5 NLT

We called it the plunder room because that’s what we did there.

My maternal grandmother’s home had a large room built on the back—a room once a bedroom for a father who stayed with them. Sometime after that relative died, my grandfather tore away a part of the large farmhouse’s back porch, but he left what we called the plunder room.

My cousin and I often spent time there, sorting through the many discarded items to see if we could use anything as we tried to entertain ourselves on the farm. Technology hadn’t inundated our lives. Restlessness drove us there when we had nothing else particular to do.

Many of the Middle Eastern biblical characters were nomadic. Various occurrences caused them to change locations. For Jacob, it was learning his youngest son, Joseph, wasn’t dead after all. A desire to see him and escape the famine that ravaged his land made him leave his homeland and travel to Egypt, where his descendants eventually spent four hundred years in slavery.

Restlessness is a taxing feeling. As a teen and even a young adult, I felt it hanging over my head more than once. The desire to get away … to escape. I couldn’t pinpoint any reason; I just wanted to leave. Hop on an empty railroad box car and see where it took me. Walk a power line and see where it led.

Looking back, I suppose my running from God caused my restlessness. I knew what he wanted from me, but my lifestyle warred against it like water against oil. Only when I stopped plundering in the wrong places and with the wrong people did I finally settle down.

I still periodically fight the restless spirit—the desire to return to what once was. Paul calls this battling the flesh, the part of us that wants to rebel against God and all we know to be right.

God wants us to plunder in his plunder room. Rather than discarded valueless items, God’s plunder room holds his purpose and plan. It houses the strength to do his work. He doesn’t want us to live aimlessly and purposelessly but to discover and follow his plan diligently.

Rather than plundering aimlessly, plunder around in God’s plunder room. There, you will find his plan and purpose for you.

Father, guide me to pursue those things of spiritual value that will enable me to accomplish your will. 

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Walk the Path - Martin Wiles

Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Proverbs 4:26 NLT

Though once clear and distinct, the path has now disappeared.

Paths vary in length and purpose. The Appalachian Trail marches over two thousand miles of the roughest terrain in the Eastern United States and is traversed by thousands yearly. I’ve walked parts of it. The Foothills Trail meanders some eighty miles along the most remote mountainous areas of the North Carolina-South Carolina border. I’ve walked all of it.

But there was another path—one that connected my maternal grandparents’ home with my aunt and uncle’s. In comparison, not many people walked it, but thousands of footprints kept it well-worn. Footprints that represented numerous trips for various purposes: to eat a meal, to spend the night, to ask a question, to have a glass of Southern sweet tea, to borrow a cup of sugar, to go fishing, to go hunting, to play in the hog pen.

In 1991, one terminus of the path vanished when my grandmother died. Then, in 2015, the other terminus moved when my aunt died. 

On a final trip to see my aunt before her final trip, I noticed the path had vanished. What was once well-worn was now grass-covered. The last time anyone walked it was 1991. There was no reason. Strangers had bought and moved into my grandparents’ home. Exactly how long it was after people stopped walking the path that it disappeared, I’m not sure. But eventually, the last sprig of grass snaked over the final bare spot, and it was gone—never to be seen or walked again.

For me, this path between the two homes led to family, fellowship, love, fun, and safety. Other paths have various purposes. The one we must walk to Jesus represents forgiveness and eternal life with the God who loves us. As we walk it, spiritual growth should take place.

Paths can also lead to new friendships and love relationships—to happiness and contentment. And, of course, some paths—those that are damaging to us spiritually, emotionally, or physically—should be left to grow over, like the one between my relatives’ homes.

Consider the paths you’re walking. Where are they taking you and why? Then, walk the path your Creator planned for you.

Father, guide me to the path that leads me to You and then to the path of loving others. 

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Bird Dogs

 

Ingredients

FRIED CHICKEN STRIPS (COOKED)

HOT DOG BUNS

BACON SLICES (COOKED)

SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE 

HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

Directions

PLACE CHICKEN IN BUNS. 

ADD BACON AND CHEESE.

DRIZZLE HONEY MUSTARD. 

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In the Pit - Martin Wiles

Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37:24 NLT

Only some qualify for the pit.

I once was a NASCAR fan. Although I only attended a few races, I watched many on television. The drivers intrigued me—the training they had to endure, the car’s heat, the inconveniences of hours of racing, the dangers—but the pit crew interested me more. I loved watching the cars roll into the pit area and seeing the crew members swarm the vehicle. One slid across the hood of the car and changed the tires on the opposite side of the car. Another took the opposite side. One popped the hood and made a quick check. Another reached over the tire changer with a long-handle brush and cleaned the windshield. Still, another manhandled a large gas can and shoved the funnel into the car’s fuel tank. Top-level pit crews could get everything done in as little as eleven seconds, helping the driver maintain his spot in the race.

I assumed pit crew members were master mechanics. Wrong. At least in most instances. Decades ago, pit crew coaches tried to turn trained mechanics into pit crew members. That seemed to be the logical thing to do since mechanics knew mechanics. But their efforts didn’t work. Mechanics may have known the nuts and bolts of the job, but most didn’t have the skill, strength, and agility needed to work on a pit crew. They were not performers, and the pit crew required people who could show out. Athletes fit that bill, so coaches began hiring and teaching athletes to be mechanics.

Pitting a car in record time—a time that takes a pit crew to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—takes years of work. In one survey, where thirty-three pit crew members responded, nearly three-fourths had participated in sports. 

Not everyone would enjoy pit life. Joseph didn’t. However, he was partly responsible for putting himself in the pit. But God was also involved in this process. Joseph’s two dreams let him know he would rule over his family one day. His mistake came in blabbing that to his brothers, who already hated him because their father showed Joseph partiality. And because Joseph had a habit of reporting their bad behavior to their father. A tattle tale.

Joseph’s pits later transformed into other types: slavery, false accusations, and prison. These he had no control over. Only God did. It wasn’t until Joseph had been elevated to ruler over all of Egypt and saved his family from dying of starvation that he could look back and see how God had worked through all of his pits.

I’ve endured quite a few pits in my lifetime as well. Some I groveled in because I made bad decisions. Others, I mired in because of someone else’s decisions and actions. Either way, I found myself in pits I didn’t enjoy. Being there, however, did give me time to reflect.

When in a pit, asking “Why am I here?” is a good starting point. If sin has put us there, the proper response is confession and repentance. God may then move us out of the pit or let us stay there a little longer so that we learn our lesson and don’t repeat the same wrong moves in the future. If others’ decisions have put us there, we may have no control over the situation. We have to wait it out.

Although we might not consider it, God can put us in pits even if we haven’t sinned—as long as the situation doesn’t violate His holy nature. He puts us there to teach us essential lessons or prepare us to accomplish His future plan. Moses’ pit was the backside of desert tending flocks. Paul’s appeared in the form of jail, beatings, shipwreck, misunderstanding, and a whole list of other things. David’s involved betrayal by one of his sons.  

We need patience and attentiveness regardless of why we’re in the pit. Trust also weighs in. We can trust God to do what’s right even when the pit appears wrong. God wants us to trust His wisdom, guidance, and timing. And when the time is right, God will lift us from the pit and restore us.

Ask God what He wants to teach you when you find yourself in a pit.

Father, I trust You to deliver me from my pits and teach me vital lessons while I’m there. 

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Protected from Self - Martin Wiles

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. James 1:14 NLT

On any given day, stress levels can escalate.

I work well under pressure but don’t handle pressure well. I feel pressured when I’m behind on grading assignments I’ve given students. Or when the internet acts up. Intermittent downtime means more time is required to do the work I’m required to do—if I can do it at all. My students can’t access their online books or complete their online exercises. More than once, students have heard me grunt at the computer.

While I may blame my stress level on the computer, the internet, or the demands of my profession—or just plain life—I am the source. My attitude toward these or other aggravating circumstances swells my stress level. However, circumstances or people can only stretch my stress level if I allow them to.

The source of any sinful actions or thoughts is identical. James says my biggest problem is me—not others or even Satan. I am my worst enemy. On the other hand, he isn’t teaching that Satan or his demonic companions are figments of religious imagination.

We are all born with a sinful nature. When we follow Christ, He replaces it with a new nature but doesn’t remove the “flesh.” Flesh isn’t a reference to skin but to the part of us that still wants to act and think as we did before we met Christ. Satan temps through our flesh, but the flesh is ours, making us responsible. We need protection from ourselves.

The devil can’t make us do anything. The Spirit in believers is greater than the one (Satan) in the world. When we feed our flesh and new nature with God things, we lessen the chances we’re going to cause problems. Having God’s Word hidden in our hearts gives us a source to run to when our flesh acts up. Remaining in a constant attitude of prayer reminds us God is always present to provide us with wisdom and strength to overcome what Satan—or ourselves—throws at us.

Putting on the whole armor of God protects us from Satan’s attacks. Tending to our inner selves protects us from ourselves.

Father, I ask that You give me an inner desire to obey You rather than the temptations of Satan or the flesh.

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Life on Loan - Martin Wiles

But God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?” Luke 12:20 NLT

A day’s plans can change in a moment.

Since we were a one-car family, my wife normally drove me to work. On one particular day, she let me drive. As I attempted to put the car in reverse, I heard a snap and then noticed the gear shift didn’t look quite right. It hung limply against the steering column. Within a couple of hours, a tow truck had taken it to the local Ford dealership, and I had called my mom to see if we could borrow her car.

I never questioned who owned the car I would temporarily drive. I didn’t treat it like mine because I knew I had to return it. I was more careful than usual with my driving and kept the inside and outside as clean as possible. Mom never said, “You can’t have this car,” but she didn’t have to. I knew it was on loan.

The rich fool forgot his life was on loan. He had a fertile farm that produced an abundant crop. He had money to build larger storage buildings to accommodate the overflow. He planned to sit back and enjoy life’s pleasures—until God interrupted his plans and reminded him his life wasn’t his own. 

While I don’t have the means to do anything I desire, adopting the same mindset as the rich fool comes easily. Life was about him and no one else. But life isn’t all about me. God loaned it to me. He created me in my mother’s womb and had a plan in place before my birth. One day, God will call for full repayment of the loan. I’ll stand before my Creator to give an account of how well I’ve cared for what He entrusted to me. Did I keep the inside and outside clean? Did I treat it selfishly or use it to do His work? Did I live like I thought I’d never have to return it to Him?

Our gifts, talents, and opportunities are not inherent or developed by chance. God has ingrained and loaned them.

Make sure you are using well what God has entrusted to you. One day, He’ll call for full repayment.

Father, may I always remember my life is on loan from You. 

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Great Northern Beans and Smoked Sausage

 

Ingredients

1 pound dried Great Northern beans

1 pack of Hillshire (or brand of your choice) skinless smoked sausage

1 large Vidalia onion

salt and pepper

Directions

Separate out any broken beans.

(optional) Soak in cold water overnight.

Slice smoked sausage.

Cut onion in half.

Place all ingredients in crockpot, and fill half full with water. 

Cook on high for 2 hours and then on low for 2 hours or until beans are soft. 

Serve and enjoy. 

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Worth the Cost - Martin Wiles

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23 NLT

We saw the top, but wanted to see the bottom.

The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the stay-at-home or work order, made my wife and I pen sick. We looked for an outing that authorities allowed. Sure enough, hiking qualified—as long as we could find an open trail. But since we had just hiked two days prior, we needed a trail that accommodated our aching backs and knees. Pig Pen Falls and Lick Log Falls seemed to fit the bill since both rested on the same trail and were rated easy. 

My wife, I, another couple, and two of our grandchildren set out early one morning, looking forward to a picnic lunch and cool spring weather. The only part I wasn’t sure of was the last couple of miles to the trailhead. The directions said we had to lumber down a gravel road. We had just purchased a new van. We had previously traveled on mountain gravel roads and knew how unpredictable they were: narrow, dusty, gulleyed. But we wanted to hike, so we had no alternative. 

Our destination was Mountain Rest, South Carolina, just above Oconee State Park. The last leg of our journey took us down Nicholson Ford Road, a gravel road that started narrow but then widened. Maybe we were okay after all. 

We discovered a packed house when we reached the end and the trailhead. We weren’t the only ones tired of being home. I squeezed the van into the only remaining spot, and we donned our gear. Excitement spread across the grandboys’ faces as they anticipated letting out their energy and seeing waterfalls. 

Whoever rated the trail got it right. The only thing that slowed us down was roots. We began on the Foothills Trail for around one-half mile, then intersected with the Chattooga Trail. Just to the left lay Pig Pen Falls. A large rock made a nice resting and picture-taking spot, and my wife—the picture taker in the bunch—took advantage of the photo ops. 

During our rest stop, we met an emergency responder we had seen two days before. We asked about Lick Log Falls and smiled when she told us it was only five minutes down the trail. We had read it cascaded down a three-tier rock face. The upper two we could see from the trail, but the bottom tier required scaling down the mountain. I wasn’t sure our young grandsons—or I—could master it. 

Sure enough, we passed the top of the falls within five minutes. A little farther, and we saw the first two tiers. A few yards farther, we came to the descent trail—a steep trail littered with roots and fallen trees. An older couple approached. They had descended before, seen the falls’ bottom tier, and considered the view worth the trip down. We asked if the boys could handle it. They thought so. My wife didn’t. I did. As we began our descent, she stood on the trail and cried—a place she stayed until we returned. 

The sight from the bottom trumped the cost of all the aches and pains the descent cost me. I witnessed the bottom tier of the falls, took beautiful photos of them and the Chattooga River, and let the boys play in the sandy beach area. The climb back up to the trail challenged us more than the descent, but my wife’s smiling face and tear-stained cheeks greeted us. 

Jesus spoke of a greater cost than a trip down a mountain to see gorgeous waterfalls. His entailed taking up a cross—something He knew lay in His future and something He knew involved pain. Only His pain would be greater than anyone who hung on a cross. His entailed the pain of spikes and the pain of the world’s sins. 

Our cross probably won’t be literal as Jesus’ was. The cost varies. For some, it might only involve being made fun of. For others, it might include jail and even death. But there is a cost. Our journey with Christ involves times of ease, times of difficulty, and times somewhere in between.

Regardless of the cost, the decision to follow Him is worth whatever it costs. And whatever the price, it won’t compare to the cost Jesus paid for us on the cross as He took our sins upon Himself. Anything worth doing or having is worth paying something for—and salvation is no different. Although salvation comes by grace and costs us nothing, we must willingly pay the price of serving the one who served us. And in the service lies a mixture of sacrifice, joy, and pain. 

No greater joy exists than following the One who gave His all for us. Take up the cross, and be willing to pay the price. The beauty, in the end, will be worth anything you pay. 

Father, make me willing and eager to pay the cost of following You. 

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