Articles
Windows and Walls
Just about any house will have windows and walls. The windows allow transparency. Light can shine through the windows. But walls are different. Walls provide a barrier. Things cannot be seen through the wall.
Think for a moment about your relationship with God. Do you want to be more like the wall or the window? Are you building barriers or are you transparent with your Creator? For starters, realize that God knows all things. Consider the following verses:
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off. Psalm 139:2
For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. Jeremiah 16:17
It is the case that God is an all-knowing God. Nonetheless, we see examples in the Bible of people trying to hide from God. All the way back to the Garden of Eden, we find people trying to hide. Adam and Eve hide from God following their sin (Genesis 3:8). Somewhat similarly, Jonah goes the opposite direction he should have, attempting to “flee from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3).
These are people who are trying to be build walls rather than be a window. Attempting to hide ourselves from God is not helpful. After all, God knows all things. The only proper response is to be open to the presence of God rather than attempting to flee or hide from our Creator.
Whereas people like Adam and Jonah tried to hide parts of themselves before God, we see others in the Bible being open to God, realizing that only through confession can we be made whole. Many of the Psalms express openness and confession to God. For example, David writes in Psalm 51:3, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” When we consider holiness, it must be acknowledge that holiness is closely related to wholeness. We cannot be holy—and whole—if we attempt to hide parts of ourselves from God.
The wisdom of Proverbs 28:13 states, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Also, we find in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
There is nothing beneficial about trying to hide from God. It will only lead to heartache and further sin. Instead, when we are open and honest with God, true spiritual growth will occur. God knows the truth. There is no reason to try to hide.
So, let’s return to the question posed above. As we attempt to construct a healthy faith, are we a wall or a window? Are we building barriers and trying to hide, or are we transparent with the God who already knows?
