- Hide
Psalm 27:5
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock.
The unconditional promise from God that He will hide me means that He will keep me safe from the enemies. “Hide” does not necessarily mean that I can’t be seen, but it means that I cannot be touched. If the Lord sets me on a rock I am still hidden although I am visible, because the enemies cannot reach me. To be hidden in his pavilion is to be protected by armies and bodyguards. A “pavilion” is like the tent of the general’s headquarters behind the battlefield, the safest place to be during the battle. Being hid in the secret of his tabernacle is being kept in the very presence of God into which no evil enemy can ever enter; so I am safe in God’s presence even if the enemy knows I am there. Being set up on a rock puts me out of reach of the enemies and my defenders easily push them back.
This promise of “hiding” means that God places me in a place of safety from the temptation, threat, scare, attack and danger from Sin, Death and the Devil. This Hiding Place is available to me in the time of trouble. When I run to the Lord He hides me in the secret place in His presence for security and safety until the trouble passes and the enemy leaves.
Both the presence of Sin and the presence of God are at all times surrounding me and even inside me. It is helpful to develop a more conscious awareness of the one and the other; I need to know when and where and how to jump into the hiding place. Through repentance and forgiveness, confession and absolution, I run into the waiting arms of the Father by remembering the “hiding place promise.” There solutions to my problems are worked out, prayers are answered, sins forgiven, and the troubles dissolve and pass away; Jesus remains.