I used to love playing the kid’s game of ‘hide and seek’.  Run around the old neighborhood trying to find the right place to hide where hopefully the person who was ‘it’ could not find you.  When I read Proverbs 25: 2-3,  I was puzzled.  What does it mean that God is glorified when He conceals things?  God hides things from us?   It is ‘the glory of God to conceal things,  but the glory of kings to search them out.’  God hides…we search them out.

What gives?   There is something about searching,  finding out for ourselves.  When I was a financial planner,  I had some clients who enjoyed considerable inheritances.  Some were young people with money dumped into their laps.  I can’t think of any that weren’t worse off after they got all that money.  They found themselves aimless.

Is that what’s meant in this verse about God hiding some things and our needing to search them out?   We appreciate more what we have to work hard for.  A ‘free ride’ is often not that at all.  Proverbs 25 says to get with it!   In college, my parents helped me with expenses–tuition and room/board.  When I entered graduate school at Princeton, my parents announced that I was on my own.  No more money!  Oh, the pain and suffering!  I was being weaned off of their largesse.  It hurt.  I was confused…and possibly a bit greedy as well.   Maybe?  Probably!

I learned that it’s good to study and work hard.  After all,  I was now paying for it!  I did quite well at Princeton.  I paid back my student loan over a 10 year period, never missing one payment.  Like burning a mortgage when that last coupon was clipped, the final payment made!   My parents were right.  I needed to search it out, paying for it myself.

God holds back so we can get busy for Him.  Searching and seeking… all He has for us.  Will mean so much more.  Not served on a platter… but after climbing mountain clefts, stretching weary muscles and scraping knees.  Even in the troubles that don’t seem to go away, seek Him.  Seek…He will be found.  Crack open the pages of your Bible… and find out for yourself.  It’s well worth the effort!  Good reading… good digging!

Prayer:  Lord, we need You so much.  Thank you that life is worth the living because you live.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.