Day 4

John 4:16

Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here.

There is something deeply human about the instinct to hide. From the very beginning of Scripture, we see it. In Genesis, after sin enters the world, the man and woman become aware of their nakedness, and shame follows. They hide themselves, even though God already knows exactly where they are. Shame convinces them that concealment is safer than exposure.

As we move into a new year, many people find themselves starting new Bible reading plans. I have found myself once again in the book of Genesis, reading through the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs together. As Erica and I have been reading in sync, I have been reminded how early this pattern of hiding shows up in the story of humanity. Even when God knows everything, we still feel the urge to cover, conceal, and retreat.

That instinct has not disappeared. We hide not because God is unaware, but because sin creates distance. It whispers that if we are fully seen, we will be rejected. Shame convinces us that honesty will lead to condemnation rather than healing. And yet Scripture tells us something radically different. Romans reminds us that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Shame may be our instinct, but it is not our identity.

When Jesus meets the woman at the well, He does not begin with accusation. He begins with honesty. He gently brings into the open what she has spent her life avoiding. And remarkably, He does this not to shame her, but to free her. God will not heal what we conceal, but He gladly heals what we bring into the light.

About a year or two ago, I began a discipline that was honestly difficult at first. I started writing down the things in my life that needed to change. Sometimes those were goals or areas of growth. Other times they were behaviors, patterns, or sins that required forgiveness and surrender. It can be daunting to put those things on paper. Naming them makes them feel real. But I have found that when I come to terms with those areas honestly before God, that is often when He shows up most clearly and helps me navigate through them.

The woman at the well leaves her jar behind and walks back into town free. She is fully known and still fully loved. That same invitation is extended to us. In Christ, there is no condemnation. There is freedom. There is healing. And there is grace waiting on the other side of honesty.

As you continue these days of prayer and fasting, consider what it might look like to stop hiding from God. Not because He does not already know, but because bringing things into the light is where healing begins.

Prayer

God, thank You that You see us fully and still love us completely. Give us the courage to bring hidden places into Your light, trusting that Your response is grace, not condemnation. As we continue this season of prayer and fasting, lead us into deeper honesty and greater freedom. We place our lives fully in Your hands. Amen.