The Hidden Truth

The Hidden Truth

1Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

 From the time Adam and Eve attempted to hide themselves from God in the Garden of Eden, there has been a natural tendency for humanity to treasure away our true selves. We are taught to be polite, to say nothing unless it is positive, to have different personas for different venues. Honesty in this age demands a rare and enviable courage to make one's self vulnerable to criticism and ridicule. Social forces, combined  with insecurities for most of us, make sure that we stay in our lanes and don't rock the boat. Just fit in and all will be fine. Stay silent in areas of controversy and there will be no attention drawn to ourselves. And no attention means no criticism. And that means we never have to face our true selves, only living as mental caricatures of what we wish we were.

There is a reason that truth is described as "light". Light exposes things that darkness covers. It shows direction when one is lost in the oppressive shadows of life. It makes clear what otherwise is obscured. 

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

At the time of Jesus' birth, there was a long standing prophecy from the Torah regarding a deliverer,a Messiah, that would one day appear and set Israel free. Most everyone knew this who had ever been raised in the culture. And scholars were dedicated to studying what was written in order to recognize this promised holy man when he arrived. Yet, these same followers of prophecy were the very people whom, when placed before them, cried out for the death of the One sent by God. Why? How? After centuries of expectation and innumerable hours of reading and deciphering and reckoning they had missed it entirely. Chalking up the claims of Jesus as simply another in a long line of quasi-Messianic wannabes who came around every few decades. Only worse, this man had laid claim to being equal to God, and therefore deserved not just dismissal and scourging....but death. The very Light of Humanity was hated by those who claimed to seek it.

John 1:4-5 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

 The lesson to learn is that, while God is truth, truth is often hidden to those who hide themselves. Our default instinct is usually to cover up our faults. To make our character flaws and wrong actions unrecoverable. Because we want to maintain appearances and regard our social masks as essential to survival, we refuse to uncover our true selves to God or man. 

 John 3:19-21 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

What we often do not realize is what we cannot grasp while we are holding our cloaks tightly around us: truth. While covering ourselves from the world, we also cover ourselves from seeing God's Light. His Mercy to forgive. His Grace to empower. His Love to restore. These are unknown if we continually cower in fear of being "found out". Only through the bravery and faith of confession can we find the freedom of forgiveness. Only through the light can our darkness be solved. 

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

To truly find God, we must first be willing to allow Him to "find" us. The faith required to believe that we will not be met with condemnation and anger (but rather we will be rewarded as Sons of God like prodigals returning to their ancestral home) is the first and foremost step in understanding that Truth is the pathway to the Father. We are victorious through Him that loved us. Mercy rejoices against judgment. These are more than platitudes to make us feel better. These are God's Truths that must lead us to a willingness to have our true selves exposed so that God's true nature can be revealed. 

If you're having trouble believing in God's Mercy, try giving Him a chance to show it to you. You may find that the hidden truth was right in front of you all along.