Nothing Is Hidden

It is a haunting and glorious
thought:
nothing is hidden from
You.

You see me
on the mountain peak
in the lowest valley
in the forest density
slipping between urban towers
sliding behind my desk
walking alone
lost in the throng
opening the next door
leave something behind
propelled across oceans
once again at home
pulling the covers over me
sitting before that glowing screen
huddled in quiet thought.

No location hidden.
No action unseen.
Never lost in the crowd.

It often haunts me
that I am always exposed
always under the unceasing watch
of your righteous eyes.
There is no hiding place
no escape from your holy presence.

But your eye on me is also
my eternal comfort.
You look on me with eyes of a
Father:
always guiding
always protecting
always providing
always preparing the way.
You see my burdens and my grieving.
You see my laughter and my rejoicing.
You see my doubt and my fearing.
You know my hopes and my dreaming.
You hear my praise and my weeping.
I know you see and care for me.

So, when I feel exposed by your
holy eyes,
I will remember that Jesus is my
righteousness,
and when I feel alone
I will bask in the comfort of knowing
your eyes watch over me
and in your watching
there is safety.

Psalm 139

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

God bless,

Paul David Tripp

Reflection Questions

1. Are you tempted to believe that God is with you, or blessing you, only when you are on the mountain peak, experiencing success and prosperity? How do you determine success, prosperity, and blessing? Are you using worldly metrics or biblical definitions?

2. Consider a time when you were at your lowest, in a valley. Were you tempted to believe that God had abandoned you or was withholding blessing? Why do we have reason to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), even in the darkest of times?

3. What did you think, say, or do recently that you would not have otherwise done if someone was watching you? Perhaps it was a wrong thought or internet search, a harsh word towards your spouse or child, or a morally questionable decision that you thought you could get away with. Did you forget that you can never hide from the Lord?

4. What sin or struggle are you hiding from others in the body of Christ that you do not want exposed? Why would you be embarrassed or ashamed? What freedom or help might be found if you were honest and transparent? What is stopping you from asking for accountability today?

5. If spiritual transparency with Christ is a glorious blessing, how can you be more intentional in the lives of your brothers or sisters? Identify one or two people that you need to know better. How can you get beyond a superficial relationship and lovingly, patiently, and graciously intrude in their secret thoughts, sins, and struggles? What is stopping you from doing that today?