Your Hidden Ones.

“God, you have to do something! Don’t be silent and just sit idly by. Can’t you see what they’re doing? All your enemies are stirred up in an uproar! They despise you, Lord. In their defiant arrogance they rise up to host their secret council against your people. They conspire together to come and harm your cherished ones—your hidden ones.” Psalms 83:1-4 The Passion Translation

Asaph was one of Gods chosen. His desire was to bring about the deliverance of Gods people. There was an enormous battle mounted against the Israelites made up of 10 nations who conspired to assault the chosen people. They were determined to obliterate the very name of Israel from among the nations. They therefore banded together for a wicked purpose and they came from all directions: north, south, east, and west, in order to take out the “insignificant” people whom God had called his own. With the cry in the quoted text, Asaph wanted to bring God into this Mess; to stir him up to take the part of Israel urgently”

Now imagine how God would respond to the dread being inflicted on his loved, chosen ones. The last three words of this scripture “your hidden ones” are daring and provocative. Asaph pleads wit God that, this nation is his own, and that therefore he must protect it.

Now, why did Asaph call Gods people the Hidden Ones. Firstly, I think it is because God had to put them beyond the reach of their adversaries and concealed them in a place of safety. But also, they are God’s hidden ones because he gives them peace and quiet, even in the midst of turmoil and sorrow. Asaph says, “Your enemies make a tumult, but your hidden ones are quiet.” That issue you dreaded so much where you would have said, “I am sure it will crush me,” would have crushed you if left to your own devices; but when it came you felt so calm and good natured that you were almost unrecognizable to yourself. You found your peace.

It is true, we encounter troubles of every kind and size, we are provoked with every form of catastrophe; and yet all the time we are serenely quiet, and perfectly happy. An analogy I can draw is likened to the eagle. This bird flies in the highest skies, when he sees the hunter coming with his gun, however far the bullet may reach, the eagle knows it can’t touch him. He looks down on the hunter with a cheerful heart. Bring it on, the eagle would say. He knows he is high above it all. God gives his children, at times, such mounting faith that they rise up as on the wings of eagles, and the bullets of trouble cannot them. In fellowship with God, we can truly resist the assaults of man. Happy are those who have become God’s hidden ones. Matthew 5:11 puts it so nicely "Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers.”

When trials seem to take over, that is usually the moment when Gods comfort is on display. I really don’t think we could know the depths of the serenity of God unless we have been greatly tried. Things happen that no one will see except those who are hidden away by the Lord in the times of trouble. When you are hidden by God, you become oblivious to the horrid things people say about you, that babbling noise of slander! What a blessing not to hear it. The noise of misrepresentation! The wave after wave of actual trouble that comes to whether from work or in other familiar circles! What joy it is to be just kept out of it all, like Noah in the ark, all the world drowned, but God shut him up in safety!

Now, why does God hide us?

Please read this story of Elijah in Isaiah 49. For sake of brevity I focus just on this portion – “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.”

God hides us and holds us back from what we want to do. Why? Well most likely there is something in us that simply shouldn’t be there, and God has to close the door on what you wanted to. God hid Joseph before he came to the palace. He hid Moses for a third of his life before he led his people out of Egypt.

Secondly, He is preparing you for a greater purpose. Elijah still needed to learn more about dependence upon God, complete trust in Him, patience and humility; all of which we need to learn. God used two methods for Elijah in the desert. One (natural realm) was the brook from where Elijah would get drinking water everyday (metaphorically – consumption of the Word of God). The other was a supernatural means – the ravens were to come and feed him (metaphorically, God was speaking to him). He heard the voice of God. The bible says, ‘the word of God came to Elijah; bringing specific instruction.' God speaks during times when you are hidden. God always has a method of training the men and women He uses by taking them to the desert. This is exactly where He trained Moses.

Thirdly we are hidden during times of great wickedness. In these times, God always withdraws his prophets. God must hide Elijah during the time of wickedness in the land. This sin was so bad that Elijah cried out ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left.’

We live in horrid times. In South Africa alone you have this scourge of Gender Based Violence and unrelenting sorrow and the love of many has gone cold. So yes, God will withdraw his people. He said to Elijah concerning his 7000 hidden ones. ‘Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him’ These hidden ones are kept by God in special care. At the same times while God withdraws his prophets, he has started judging his people. One-way God judges his people is withholding his Word - ‘the word of God was rare in those days.’ There was a famine of the Word of God.

After the Hidden Ones' preparation, there will be lone, powerful voices that comes from the hidden ones. Their voice will be so different but anointed and convicting. Thousands will return to the Lord. And this will be to the glory to God.

The hidden ones are the best. They are set apart for special task. God needed them to perform special assignment to fulfill His plan. They are very dear to God that He keeps them to himself. David is called the apple of God’s eye. Psalms 17:8 says, ‘Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. These hidden ones will not be overcome by the enemies for they are the Lord’s. This is their special honor. I If people want to harm these special hidden ones, God will come and destroy them.