Consider Isaiah 58:1-2 and Isaiah 59: 1-2:

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show     my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. (58:1-2)

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.  (59:1-2)

             “Hide and seek” is a common childhood game. The name of the game explains its underlying nature: someone hides and someone else tries to find the person who hid. Just as children play this game, God sometimes plays this “game” with His people. What?! Why would God hide from His people? Let’s examine the scriptures and find out.                             These verses in Isaiah describe the dilemma God found Himself in because His people were simultaneously sinning and seeking Him. They sought God daily. Despite this, God told Isaiah to proclaim to the House of Jacob their sins. Even though they were seeking God, He could not overlook their transgressions. They were people of upright character, thoughts and words. They consecrated themselves in worship and prayer, but when they finished, they became liars and cheaters.

                                         God’s Saving Hand
             Isaiah 59:1-2 is God’s response to the sin in the land. It is ironic that God’s people were expecting Him to bless and reward and deliver them even though they were sinning uncontrollably. And because God was not blessing, rewarding and delivering them, they began to wonder why God was not moving on their behalf. 
             In response to the people’s cries, Isaiah defends God by telling them that He has not lost His ability to save. He reminds them that His ears have not become immune to the cries of His people. But, Isaiah tells them, God will only save and hear those who are earnestly seeking Him and living a Godly life.
             Verse 2 of this passage tells the people why God is not responding. Their iniquities separated them from God and their sins have made Him hide His face. God was playing hide and seek. Their iniquities, lawlessness, sins, wrongdoings, transgressions and violations caused God to hide from them. They were seeking God, but God was not seeking them. They were calling on God, but God’s ears were closed.

                                             Move Toward God
             The Apostle Peter teaches that as you draw near to God, God will draw near to you. Seeking God is one way you can definitely approach and draw closer to Him. But as you seek God, you must alter your lifestyle so that someone can automatically look at you and tell that you have been diligently and earnestly seeking God. God is your shield and your great reward. When you take one step toward Him, He takes one step toward you. Sin, on the other hand, causes a separation. It causes you to take  two steps backwards, and, consequently, God takes two steps backwards. Sin forces God to hide from you. And, when He hides from you, He will not bless you or reward you or deliver you.
             Whether you are aware of  it or not, the decision to sin is a conscious one. You consciously decide to party and have a wild time. You consciously decide to drink alcohol. You consciously decide to take drugs. You consciously decide to commit fornication or adultery.
             Everytime you think about commiting any type of sin, ask yourself if you are willing to be separated from God. Are you willing to have God hide His face from you? Are you bold enough to play hide and seek with God? Separation from God is a tremendous risk and if that doesn’t keep you from sinning, I don’t know what will. So, before you sin, make sure you think about the potential separation from God and how that will impact your life.

                             The Adult Version of Hide and Seek                                         What is it about sin that transforms your life into a game of hide and seek? If you owe someone some money and you don’t have it, what do you do? You play hide and seek. All of a sudden you are not available. Suddenly, you are never at home. You start monitoring your phone calls. The sin of not paying back the money is separating you from that person. That person doesn’t want to have anything to do with you, and you cannot breathe a sigh of relief until you have paid back the money.                                       Likewise, sin is an irritation to God. Just as you try to separate yourself from irritating phone calls from irritating people, God tries to avoid your phone calls to heaven if He is not pleased with the life that you are living.
             Reflect on all the phone calls you have tried to avoid. People may call you for all kinds of reasons. They may need money. They may need advice. They may require your presence at some function. They may want you to do a favor for them. Or, they might simply want to hold a general conversation. Regardless of the reason for the phone call, it may prove to be an irritation. You may have been in the room vigorously motioning to the person taking the call to say, “Tell whoever that is that I am not here!” Or, you may have reacted in a more extreme nature by actually jumping up from your chair and going to another room to hide from the phone call pretending that you were not at home. 
             Irritation causes you to play hide and seek. Similarly, that same irritation you cause God makes Him play hide and seek. Adam and Eve were the first to hide themselves from the face of God. Why did they hide? Because they knew that the sin they had committed was an irritation to God. That sin had driven them from the presence of the Almighty God. After all, when God called to Adam, he responded by telling God that he was afraid and naked, and, consequently, he hid himself (Genesis 3:10). Let’s further examine the components of Adam’s behavior:

1. Adam was afraid of God’s voice.

2. Immediately, after he sinned, Adam knew that he was naked.                The term “naked” takes on a literal and figurative meaning. He was stripped of his clothing, but he was also stripped of his glory and his anointing. If sin strips you of your glory and your anointing, how can you be an effective witness?

3. “And I hid myself.” Sin may leave you afraid to face God, but approaching Him in an unrepentant state forms a stench in his nostrils. God wants you to acknowledge your sin before He will forgive you. 

             Adam’s son, Cain, found himself in a very similar situation with God when he killed his brother,  Abel (Genesis 4: 13 - 14). After God made him a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, Cain told God that his punishment was much more than he could bear. God had driven Cain out of the face of the earth, and he would be hidden from God’s face. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
             God knows that you are not infallible. Although it may seem that you are trying to do your best, sometimes your best just is not good enough. You may need to take that extra step or go that extra mile to completely abolish sin out of your life. It will not be easy but you must make the effort. Although you may see yourself as a sinner, God sees you as you would be in a more perfected state, and He sees you being free from sin, with sin having no more power over you. Throughout the Holy Bible, the subject of sin is addressed in many ways, but the overall message is that you can live a victorious, sin-free and guilt-free life in Christ. For additional insight on what the Word of God says about living a sin-free life, refer to the following chapters: 

1. Colossians, chapters 2 and 3, teaches how to be free from sin.

2. Romans, chapters  6, 7 and 8, describes how sin is defeated.

3. Galatians, chapter 5, details how to defeat sin.

4. Ephesians, chapters 2 and 4, shows how you are freed from sin through Christ Jesus.

5. I Corinthians, chapters 6 and 7, tells the church to abolish sexual sins.          


Summary --- Hide and Seek

1. When God is not pleased with your lifestyle, He closes His ears to your cries. Even if you are seeking Him diligently, sin will cause God to hide from you, and when you cannot find Him, you miss out on the blessings and solutions He has in store for you.

2. Adam and Eve were the first people to play hide and seek with God. The behavior Adam displayed when God discovered his sin often parallels the way we often respond:

· He was afraid of God’s voice.
· He found himself stripped of his glory.
· He hid from God.

 3.  The Word of God supplies complete instructions on how to live a sin-free life.