Advent Word: Hidden

 "No one calls on your name; no one bothers to hold on to you, for you have hidden yourself from us, and have handed us over to our sin." Isaiah 64:7

This one is taking me a minute to sort through. Why would our loving God decide to hide from us? Why would God our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, just hand us over to "our sin"? This is an image of God we just don't like. Or at least I don't like. 

However, when I re-read the passage, I missed a BIG context clue. God is there. God is hidden, but we are not calling out to God. We are not holding on to God. God is hidden, but has not abandoned us. I think of my own journey as a mother. There are so many times, when I know I have reminded my children a million times of what to do. Little reminders and naggings. All the time. It's like I don't exist. Then, when something happens, they are upset. They are upset because they haven't listened to the suggestions or recommendations, and they get hurt or maybe something doesn't quite go to plan. I feel like this is a bit like God. We wonder where God is sometimes, but we also have forgotten to look for God. God is always there. We just need to seek God.