Our Hiding Place

The book and the movie are about the true story of how the Ten Boom family quietly sheltered Jews in their small house until Nazis discovered the ''hiding place.'' This is the remarkable true story of Corrie’s and her sister Betsie's endurance of the death camp, and of their sure hope that God alone is the true hiding place.

Many of us have a hiding place. That is, when certain things happen to us, many of us like to hide out somewhere!

From the time we are small children, we are familiar with HIDING PLACES that we feel safe in during certain times.

Illus: Dr. Odell Belger had a cat named Buff that was afraid of storms. When a storm came it would hide underneath their bed.

WHERE DO YOU HIDE WHEN THE STORMS COME INTO YOUR LIFE?

Illus: A mother was on the telephone and her children were acting up so that she could hardly hear what the other person was saying. The person on the other end of the conversation said it sounded like the children were playing with sledge hammers and machines guns.

• Finally, the lady said, “Would you please excuse me for a minute, I need to take care of a problem here?”

• In a few minutes it became total silent. Then she said, "Okay, I’m back."

• The other party said, "But it’s so quiet! You must have complete control over those children!”

• She said, "Not really; I’m now in the closet."

When trouble comes, it is good to have a place to hide.

Illus: In certain parts of the country, when they build homes they include a STORM CELLAR. Some prefer to call these STORM CELLARS, “SAFE ROOMS”.

Builders know that a dry-walled, 2x4-framed room is no match for a “Force 5” tornado or a “Category 5” hurricane that can pack winds up to 200 mph -- enough to blow a well-built house off its foundation.

Most people never think of a STORM CELLAR until one day they are confronted with a major storm and all of a sudden the STORM CELLAR becomes the most important thing in their life. They are asking themselves, “WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?” Their very life can depend on such a place!

The same thing applies in the SPIRITUAL WORLD. We do not think of having a SAFE PLACE TO HIDE, until the storms of life blow into our lives with great fury, and then it becomes the most important thing in our life.

Many Christians have found out that when the storms of life blow their way; GOD IS OUR HIDING PLACE! Everyone needs a HIDING PLACE!

Jesus Himself felt the need to have a hiding place. Look at Mark 1:35, we read, "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."

Notice that the Lord’s hiding place was to GET AWAY FROM PEOPLE. It is nice to be around people, but too much of anything is not good. And there are times in our life when we need to get alone with the Lord Jesus.

The Lord felt the need to be alone with God the Father.

Look at Luke 6:12, we read, “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Have you ever spent the whole night in prayer? If the Lord felt the need to have a hiding place, and to be alone with God, how much more should we feel the same need?

WHAT IS A HIDING PLACE?

• A hiding place is a place where we can feel safe from impending danger

• A hiding place is where we can get away from whatever troubles us

• A hiding place is where no one knows just where we are and what we are feeling but God

WHERE IS YOUR HIDING PLACE? I want to show you several things about a hiding place. We see that some are -

I. HIDING FROM GOD

Look at Gen. 3:9, we read, “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, WHERE ART THOU?”

The very first thing that happened after the news reached heaven of the fall of man, was that God came straight down to seek out the lost. As He walked through the garden in the cool of the day, He called out, “Adam! Adam! Where art thou?”

I do not believe it was the sharp angry voice that said, “Adam, Where art thou?” It was the voice of grace, of mercy, and of love.

Adam should have been seeking God because he was the transgressor. Adam is the one that had fallen into sin, and he should have been the one that ought to have gone up and down Eden crying, “My God! my God! where art Thou?”