"Where could I go to get away from your spirit?Where could I go to escape your presence?If I went up to heaven, you would be there.If I went down to the grave, you would be there too!If I could fly on the wings of dawn,stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean—even there your hand would guide me;even there your strong hand would hold me tight!If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me;the light will become night around me,”even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you!Nighttime would shine bright as day,because darkness is the same as light to you!"-- Psalm 139:7-12, Common English Bible, 2012
In recent weeks, Edward Snowden has found himself in the crosshairs of both the US government and the international media. After leaking information about some of the NSA's practices of collecting private information on American citizens, Snowden fled Hong Kong and is currently seeking asylum in a dozen or so countries (see http://tinyurl.com/OnSnowdenAndHiding). From all reports I have read, he does not expect to be able to disappear from sight. Instead, Snowden is looking for a place where he can speak freely without fear of the reach of the United States government.
Will he be successful? I am skeptical but unsure. The reach of the US is quite far, and yet, the "frenemies" of our nation with which Snowden can hide have resources to assist him. This does not include the fact that he has the Wikileaks legal team assisting him in his plight. Maybe he will be able to find somewhere to hide.
Wouldn't it be great to be able to flee? The medical bills get too much? hit the road... Job causing overwhelming stress? leave the country... Family driving us up the wall? simply disappear... But we don't because of the real consequences of these actions. I tried several times to describe them, but want you to use your imagination. The hurt and harm we would cause is staggering. And yet...
How often do we run and try to hide from the call of God? So many times I speak with people who tell me that they know God is calling them to do things much greater than they are right now, but the cost is high. The commitment is awesome. The road is so narrow...and so we run.
Most of us don't run like Jonah did. He literally packed a bag and hopped the first boat that headed farthest from where God called him. He wanted nothing to do with God's call because it meant doing something that he really did not want to do.
We don't run like that...We run through busyness:we overbook our calendars so that we don't have the time. We run through avoidance: we turn another direction every time the subject arises. We run through procrastination: we share our good intentions that never match actions. We run through withdrawal: we pull away from God, from the church, from those who would hold us accountable.
We don't run like Jonah, but boy do we run!
Which leads to my next question: where do we think that we can go to hide from God? I am skeptical about Snowden's ability to hide from the government, but I know that Jonah was unable to hide from God. The psalmist tells us this in Psalm 139. We can run, but we are never able to hide. God will always know where we are without having to even look.
The most beautiful part of that scripture is that God's presence isn't a threat; it's a promise. Even if we hide on the other side of the ocean "there your hand would guide me; even there your strong hand would hold me tight!"(Psalm 139:10 (CEB, 2012). God's hand is there to hold us and to guide us, not to harm us. God loves us and wants our lives to be made complete with joy as we follow Jesus wherever he leads.
Will Snowden hide from the US government? Only time and history will tell. Will we ever be able to hide from the call of God? Not a chance. God loves us far too much to let us go.
If we are going to run, "...let’s ...run the race that is laid out in front of us, ... Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. " Hebrews 12:1-2 (CEB, 2012)
Grace and Peace,
