Seeing Jesus - Hidden in Christ

Joshua 1:8 (NASB 95)
"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

Psalm 32:7 (NASB 95)
You are my hiding place; You1 preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 31:19-20 (NASB 95)
(19) How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!
(20)You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Psalm 119:114 (NASB 95)
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I wait for Your word.

Colossians 3:1-3 (NASB 95)
(1) Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (3) For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 4:8 (NASB 77)
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let you mind dwell on these things.

Thoughts:

I am a "verbal" person. That is, I love words. I think in words. I meditate on the Word. Some people are visual and picture the things of God; some are auditory and sing "songs of deliverance."

I have a "hiding place," a place that I can set my mind on. I may meditate on a word, like "grace." Or a phrase, like "peace beyond understanding." Or a bit of a verse, like "It was for freedom that Christ set us free." As I do, Jesus reveals Himself to me. He brings the word, the phrase, the verse alive to me in a way that it has not been before.

The "hiding place" of others may be a particular style of worship: a "hymn sing" or "soaking" in anything from simple piano playing to a raucous worship band. Others use a "sanctified imagination" to picture Jesus and heaven.

In such a state, in such a place, the things that I call platitudes or cliches, the "trite" sayings that I hear from others, suddenly are profoundly real. There is a simplicity to devotion to Jesus. He gathered the simple to Himself; He gave a simple message in simple words. So simple was His call that it was considered "foolishness" by the wise and powerful.

I have a physical body and I interact with the world, but my life is now hidden with Jesus Christ. That life can be discerned by my actions and words, but in a very real sense it is hidden.