Psalm 9:10 
“Those who know your name trust in you, 
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
(NIV)

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, 
O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” (NLT)

GOD’s a safe-house for the battered,
A sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you’re never sorry you knocked.
(Psalm 9:9, 10 The Message)

—

One thing I’ve noticed about small children playing Hide and Seek is that they really want to be found. 

They can’t help but giggle in their hiding places. They can’t help but laugh aloud when they are swiftly found. The best part of the game is the reunion. 

Adults can be a lot like three-year-olds when it comes to God. They giggle in their hiding places, and they laugh aloud when God finds them. 

Not all adults giggle and laugh. Some pretend God doesn’t exist. Some declare they don’t want to be found. Some will fight against everything he does to locate them and to wrap his loving arms around them. 

I love the way the 23rd Psalm ends. Take a look at verse six. 

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me 
all the days of my life, 
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD 
forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The New Living Translation says, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, . . . .”

That’s God, isn’t it? His goodness and unfailing love not only follow us, but pursue us all the days of our lives. 

If you’re running from God, just know He’s always hot on your heels. 

If you’re hiding from God, just know he knows where you are, and he’s ready to snatch you into his loving arms, so that you may laugh aloud together. 

There’s one thing about God that is delightfully true: He never stops seeking me, or you.

His love reaches, holds, comforts, and empowers. 

His love is filled with laughter. 

His presence is wrapped in joy. 

Tell me again why you turned your back on him. Some things are too good to be true. God alone is truer than true, and He never stops seeking you. 

There’s nothing more fun for a little child than being found in a game of Hide and Seek. There is nothing more gratifying to a teenager than discovering they are known and loved for who they are and who they are becoming. There’s nothing more meaningful to an adult than knowing you are pursued in perfect love by the Maker of heaven and earth. 

Those who are still lost should get ready to laugh. 

—

I will join God in His seeking work and in the laughter of those who have been found. 

—

Our Father, thank you for always pursuing us. You want us to know you and love you the way you know and love us. Thank you for not letting us go so easily. Thank you that laughter is the language of heaven spoken on earth by those who are found by you. Amen.