On January 24, 1972, a Japanese sergeant, who was unaware that World War II had ended, was discovered in the jungles of Guam in the western Pacific.  Guam was retaken by U. S. forces in 1944, and Shoichi Yokoi was left behind by retreating Japanese forces.  He went into hiding rather than surrender to American forces, and for nearly thirty years waited for the return of the Japanese and his next orders.  He handcrafted survival tools and wore his uniform until it was threadbare.  He was eventually sent  home to Japan, and became a national hero.  After that, he married and returned to Guam for his honeymoon.

        “Words from Above” in the Bible tell us that it is impossible to hide from God, and we can read about in detail in Psalm 139.  Verse 2 says that God knows when we sit down and when we rise up, and He understands our thoughts.  Verse 3 says that He surrounds us when walk about and when we lay down at night, and He knows everything we do.  Verse 4 says that He also knows every word we speak.

        In verse 7 the writer of the psalm asks a twofold question: “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”  He says in verse 8 that if he ascends up into heaven, God is there, and if he makes his bed in the depths of the earth, God is also there.  He says in verse 9 that God can find us if we go flying high in the morning, or if we travel into the depths of the sea.  In verse 11 he says that not even the darkness of night can hide us from God, and in verse 12 that light and darkness are not at all  different to God in his ability to see us.

        The writer of Psalm 139 makes it clear that he was not trying to hide from God.  On the contrary, he asked God to search his heart and discover his thoughts for the purpose of determining if there might be any wicked-ness in him and for the purpose of leading him into life everlasting. 

        There are many people trying to hide from God today, just like Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after they had disobeyed His one simple rule as they lived in the Garden of Eden.  When God came to them in the cool of the day to walk and talk with them, they tried to hide themselves among the trees of the garden.  In reality, they were trying to hide their sin, but they found they couldn’t do it.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.