For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3:3
Did you ever play hide and seek as a kid? You want to find the best hiding place so that you can’t be found. For you parents, when you get your kids Christmas presents you hide them. Where? Somewhere those nosey, industrious progeny of yours can’t find them. Or consider the story of Corrie ten Boom, the courageous Dutch woman who helped save hundreds of Jews from the Nazis during World War 2, many of whom hid in a secret room in her house.
Hiding, as we think of it, always comes with the risk of being found–it entails suspense or even fear. It is about secrecy and sneakiness.
But when Paul tells us in Colossians 3:3 that “your life is hidden with Christ in God” he is reframing and redefining our understanding of “hidden.” If you are a follower of Christ, you need not suffer from suspense wondering if your salvation, your faith, or relationship with Jesus will be snatched away. A life hidden with Christ means a life secured with Christ. It is walled in by the fortress of his love and power. Your life in Christ is out of reach of any enemy because to be hidden in Christ isn’t a risk. It’s a guarantee of joy and peace and eternal glory.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
