Hide and Seek Jesus

When my oldest was merely a toddler and he first learned how to play hide and seek, he didn't seem to actually understand the strategy behind the game. Rather than finding a good hiding spot, he would sit against a wall, cover his eyes with his hands, and say, "Mama, find me!" Then he would giggle like crazy as I pretended I couldn't see him sitting there right in front of me and made a big deal of looking for him.

I'm remembering this adorable story as I contemplate how we seek and find Jesus.

It may be that sometimes, especially when we are going through something difficult, we feel as though He is hiding from us. Or worse, as though He has left us entirely.

But is He? Is He hiding? Has He left us?

Or perhaps, is He right there in front of us, but we are merely not looking in the right place?

I have told this story once or twice before already, but I can’t seem to help it. It’s a very impactful story. Story goes that Billy Graham - one of Evangelical Christianity's greatest evangelists in his time - once traveled to a Buddhist monastery high in the mountains in Tibet or Nepal (I forget which). He was able to meet with one of the monks who lived there. He sat down with this monk, and he told him about Jesus. After he finished his evangelistic spiel, he asked, would you like me to introduce you to Jesus? And the monk said, no, because I already know him. 

The monk had sought out truth, and he had found Jesus. Or, perhaps, Jesus had honored his seeking by revealing Himself to the monk. The Buddhist monk lived secluded in the mountains of a country where less than 2% of the population is Christian. Where the monk may never have even heard the name of Jesus - but he came to know Him, because Jesus was near.

I’m thinking also of the book, "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" by Nabeel Qureshi.  In the book, the author chronicles his journey to prove Islam to his Christian roommate, and therefore debunk Christianity. Along the way, he found Jesus instead, and, convicted of the truth of Christianity, he converted. He sought the truth, and found Jesus, because Jesus was near.

Lee Stroebel is another example. He was an atheist in a marriage on its way to divorce when his wife met Jesus. She didn’t bang him over the head with it or try to get him to convert. But he saw the change in her. Change for good – not changing into some cold, judgmental, hateful person. She became more patient, more loving, more full of joy. So, he set out much like Qureshi did to debunk Christianity and convince her that she’d fallen for a ploy. Instead, he also found Jesus. He was convicted by the amount of evidence for Christianity and has become one of our generation's greatest apologists. He found Jesus - because Jesus was near.

When I took a missions class some years back, I heard stories like this from real life missionaries serving all around the world. Stories of Hindus coming to Christ through mind-blowing miracles, of Muslims meeting Jesus in their dreams, of entire families and even communities being transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus not only is found by those who seek Him, but shows Himself even to those who do not.

What is my point?

I'll tell you. Here in the U.S., it is not uncommon to hear people - sometimes even Christians - saying that Jesus doesn't do miracles like His did back in the New Testament days or that Jesus is often silent and we have to still blindly believe or that Jesus doesn't interact with us as much anymore.

But what if He does? What if He does do miracles, does speak, and does want to interact with us, but we no longer know how to listen?

Or maybe, we are not seeing Him, because we are not even looking for Him.

Think of Matthew 13:58, where Jesus is teaching at the Sea of Galilee and it says, "And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief."

What if we are missing out on Jesus because we do not believe?

Maybe we believe in Jesus, in the God-man who existed on Earth 2000 years ago and did many great things. Maybe we even believe He rose and died again and hope in Him for our salvation.

But we do not believe He wants and is able to radically move in our lives today. We do not expect to hear Him or experience Him in any kind of real way.

Or maybe, we aren't expecting Him to do anything because we are so busy trying to do everything ourselves.

We think we've got this. We don't need divine intervention. We're doing a-okay on our own.

We're bustling about, trying to usher in His Kingdom through passing the right laws and voting for the right political candidates and marching against our "heathen" neighbors.  

Forget about the fact that this approach is so contrary to the gospel of Jesus. Jesus who loved and served and helped everyone who asked of him.  He didn’t care if they were outcasts or if they were unpopular or if they were unclean. He just loved people.

Why is it so hard for us to do the same?

Maybe that's the real reason why we can't find Him - because we've been blinded by our own pride and privilege and determination. Because our independence and individuality means more to us than the King we claim to serve.

But, if we are truly followers of Jesus, if we are "little Christs", should we not be emulating Him rather than some white savior type image? Should we not be more concerned about following Christ than following a flag?

I think if we were, if we truly were seeking Jesus, I think we would find Him. I think He’s not as far away as we believe.  I think He wants to be found, just like my toddler did. Jesus wants to step in and do amazing things in and through our lives.

We have believed the watered-down gospel so long that we have forgotten the power of our God. The power of Jesus.

As we start this new year, may we seek Him first. May we set our eyes upon Him. And may He work great things in us and through us.

Because He is near.

"For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." - Matthew 7:8