To Encourage You

Hebrews 4:13-16 “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. . . Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

One of the greatest lies we tell ourselves (and that the enemy of our souls encourages us in) is that hiding our sin is the best way to deal with it. If we’ve done something (or are doing something now) that we’re ashamed of, the natural tendency is to keep it a secret.  We convince ourselves that as long as that “thing,” whatever it is, is kept in the dark, then everything will be ok.  We fear that if anyone ever knows about that thing that only we know about, the roof will cave in, and disaster will follow. So, we hide. We don’t tell anyone. We deal with our sin by sneaking around, denying, and hypocritically condemning others that might be doing the very same thing. We see it all the time, and then we are shocked when the truth is exposed about someone, and we find out that they are not who everyone thought they were.  But when that person is our self, the weight of it can be almost unbearable.  It can be a burden that we live with every day – and it’s all so unnecessary. 

You see, that hidden thing, that one thing that no one else knows about, isn’t hidden at all.  As the passage above tells us, no creature – not you, not me, and not anyone else – is hidden from the sight of God. Everything we do is right out in the open with Him for He is the one for whom “the night is as bright as the day” (Psalm 139:12).  You’ll recall how the first thing Adam and Eve did after they had sinned was to try to hide from God.  However, He knows every hidden thing, including every hidden thought, and for Adam and Eve to try to hide from Him was a very foolish thing. 

We’re all exposed as if we were naked before Him.  And in the end, it is to Him that we must give an account.  That can be a terrifying thought, for if we’re afraid of other people finding out the truth about us, how much more fearful should we be of the one Who has told us, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him Who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). 

But that’s only half of the story.  So often we miss the “rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say.  You see, rather than hide our sin, which inevitably only makes things worse, why not get it out in the open and take it before the “throne of grace.”  You see, the wonderful truth is that when we confess our sin, rather than hide it, if we come “with confidence” as the passage above states (actually, that may not be the best translation, since the Greek word from which “confidence” is translated means “all out-spokenness, bluntness, and frankness, without concealment”) to the God Who already knows all about it anyway, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  It is the unrepentant person who continues to hide his or her sin that has reason to fear, for the Bible tells us, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  But when we get the sin out in the open, when we confess and forsake it, we find that its power over us is broken, for its only then that the Judge of all the earth, forgives.  And if that sin is against another person and the guilt of it is weighing us down, confession of that sin will break its grip. Again, God’s Word counsels us with the words, “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16). 

So, has some hidden sin got you down?  Are you hiding something and the weight of it is like a burden that you can’t seem to escape?  Well the answer to your dilemma is not to hide it. No, the God Who loves you has told you to come with all openness and honesty to Him. And what we will find when we do this is a shower of mercy and grace to help us in that time of need. It’s a wonderful truth. It’s the gospel of God. It’s the hope for every sinner, all because of the Lamb of God Who came to take away the sin of the world. And that includes your sin and my sin, if we will but carry it with all openness to the wonderful throne of grace.