Hidden

I have been noticing something for a while now, and trying to understand the lesson waiting for me in it. I think I have discovered what one of those lessons might be.
For several years now, we have been putting seed out in winter, and a bird bath out in summer to provide for the birds in our yard. At this point, there must be thirty birds or more living in the bushes. They are concealed in the forsythia bushes that line the side of the yard. The sound of them all chirping in the morning is great to wake up to. It is delightful to see them all come out when we spread the seed on the ground on the winter mornings, or to see them drinking and splashing in the water of the birdbath on hot summer days. Even the beautiful, but timid, woodpeckers come out from their hiding places in the trees of the yard in order to eat the suet feeding block placed there for them. It is charming to see the fledglings of a new generation learning to fly in our back yard.
This year, however, I have noticed something happening that is not so charming. A hawk, seeing the birds come out from hiding in the bushes to eat the seed on the ground, has taken up residence in the area. I have seen it land on one of the birds, and carry it off. Cats come into the yard when they become aware of bird activity. The other day, for the first time, I was shocked to see a rodent appear to eat the seed, the provision meant for the birds.
The provision, the seed, brings the birds out from covering, and also, draws predators and undesirables. Oh no, this will not do.
I began to see a connection to spiritual things. The provision of God, in the way that we wish to see it in our lives, will likewise draw predators and vermin. There are some in the kingdom of God whom God desires to keep hidden for His own timing or purpose. He does not want them out in the open to be destroyed before He reveals them in the manner and timing that He knows is best. There is a direct connection between the provision of God, and the eyes of a spiritual destroyer seeking to devour. The devourer follows the provision.
Sometimes we chafe against God's plan to conceal or hide us for a time, because we don't like to be hidden, but God's enemies are looking for these hidden ones:
"For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered (hidden) ones."  Ps. 83:2-3
Even enemies that would never have worked together, work and consult together to find the hidden people of God (v. 5-8).
In the times of trouble, when there is an increase in wickedness and evil, God will hide His people:
"For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me."   Ps. 27:5-6
One of my favorites is:
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge (shelter from rain, storm, danger, flee for protection) and my fortress; my God in Him will I trust."  Ps. 91:1-2
The LORD does not just hide us from spiritual devourers, but from the human kind as well:
"You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion (sukka- booth, tent, thicket, den, shut in, blocked off, screened, shut off, cover) from the strife of tongues."   Ps. 31:20
We can see how it is possible for us to chafe in the hidden place of God. How pleasant can it be to be hidden in a thicket, or a den? to be shut off, or shut in, blocked off? We don't like it. Obscurity may not be what we desire, but it has its uses. Even Jesus retired to the wilderness from those who plotted to kill Him, until it was time for Him to go to Jerusalem (Jn. 11:53-54).
It is wisdom,not cowardice, to remain hidden from the enemy:
"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished."
                                                                                                             Prov. 27:12
For a time, the great warrior, David, and his men had to hide in dangerous enemy territory, and in the cave Adullam ("Justice of the people, Justice of Jehovah") from Saul's pursuit (1 Sam. 21-23). Under the murderous reign of Jezebel, the prophets of God had to be hidden from her in caves, with only bread and water to eat and drink (1 Ki. 18:4). They were so well hidden by Obadiah ("servant, worshipper of Jehovah"), that the greatest prophet in the land, Elijah, thought that he was the only one left (1 Ki. 19:14). Sometimes, while in hiding, we feel that we are the only one left, but not so. Elijah himself, was hidden in the wilderness by Cherith ("cut off, cut down"), and provided for by angels (1 Ki. 19:5) and ravens (1 Ki. 17:2-7). It was while in hiding in a cave in the mountain of God, Horeb ("dried up, desolate, laid waste"), that Elijah discovered the power of the "still, small voice" of God (1 Ki. 19:12). Eventually, God pushed Elijah out of the cave, and back onto the scene.
We understand the difficulty of being hidden for a time. Warriors itch for the battle, and prophets long to prophesy. It is made more difficult, if it seems that God's provision is not of the nature that we would normally expect. In fact, it is easy to believe during this hidden time that God's provision has dried up, or has been diverted. However, if we remember the example of the birds, overt provision can lead to being uncovered from the protection provided by a hiding place. So what to do?
In the case of the birds, we changed the nature of the provision from the spreading of seed on the open ground, to putting the seed on a raised wooden platform with a covering. It is positioned near the birds' protected place in the bushes. We didn't want our provision for them to be the type that brings them out into the open, and puts them in increased danger. We didn't want the provision for the birds to be accessible instead to vermin, allowing those things to thrive and multiply.
The same is true of God's provision, I think. The nature of it, by necessity, must change when we are in that place and time of hiding. The prophet Isaiah reveals something interesting regarding a special provision:
"I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I the LORD, Who call you by your name, am the God of Israel."  Isa. 45:3
There are treasures and riches hidden by God in these secret places. They may be of a different nature than we would like, or are used to receiving, but they are treasures that we would never find out in the open. They are appointed for the secret places.
Jesus, in Revelation, talks about giving us the hidden manna to eat:
"...To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat..."   Rev. 2:17
It is not like the manna that was strewn across the open ground of the wilderness so that when the Israelites walked out of the door of the tent, they were able to gather it easily every morning. This manna of Jesus is of a hidden type, but it is still daily bread (root meaning-to raise up from the ground, lift up, to take upon one's self and carry what has been raised up) (Mt. 6:11).
If we find ourselves in that secret, hidden, obscure place, it may well be that we are there because it is where God wants us for a time, in order to protect us from His enemies. Our provision may not be spread out in the open before us, as it was previously, but the hidden provision will be there. Even if part of the provision is bread and water for a time, it will be the Bread of Life, and the Living Water. Perhaps if we train our eyes to look for the hidden riches, the treasures of darkness, we will find it.

God hides us, and provides for us under His covering in His secret place.

"Psalm 91 Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67wC6-kWWSo

Sons

Palm Sunday and Passover approaches, and so therefore also the coming of the time of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. The subject of "sonship" came to my mind at this time. You may wonder how or why that subject might be related to this time of year. I was wondering also, but I found a special truth that I needed to look at.
The Apostle Paul wrote about the importance of the sons of God manifesting:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God...because the creation itself shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption (decay) into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now."
                                                                  Romans 8:18-19, 21-22
If we consider these scriptures using a word study, we find that all of creation is anxiously and persistently watching, with head outstretched, for something to happen. All creation is waiting in suspense, waiting to take hold of something with the hand, waiting to receive, embrace, make one's own, approve of this mysterious event. This event that all creation awaits is the revealing of something which up until this point, had been hidden, veiled. Events are even being set up that will reveal, remove, or rending the veil from, this which previously has been hidden. The things that have been hidden up until this point are the sons of God.
We may even be able to say that the rending of the veil of the temple when Jesus was crucified, not only meant that the separation between God and man had ended, but also, at that moment, the sons of God were being revealed-those who previously had been hidden behind a veil.
This is momentous for all of those who are dedicated to Jesus, and to our Father.
Later, in this chapter of Romans, Paul says:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."          Romans 8:29
The image we are called to and purposed to is the image of His Son. It is a "Sonly" position and purpose.
Many times our Father intervened directly, speaking audibly to declare the Sonship position of Jesus. We know that He did this when Jesus was baptized. He did it again on the occasion of the Transfiguration. It was the Sonship of Jesus that was challenged and then confirmed at the crucifixion:
"And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross...He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said "I am the Son of God."  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with that same thing."                       Mt. 27:39-40, 43-44
All blasphemed Jesus over the same thing-His position as the Son of God: passers-by, chief priests, scribes, elders, even the criminals all rejected His Sonship. But, again, the Father intervened and upheld the Sonship of Jesus:
"So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"                                         Mt. 27:54
Those soldiers, who had previously beaten and mocked Jesus could have declared Him to be Messiah, Savior, and all of that would be, and is, true. But the Father, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had them make the declaration that Jesus was "the Son of God". This was the vital truth of that moment for all of us.
Since we know the importance and the scriptures regarding Jesus' Sonship and our sonship, why do we find it so difficult to think of ourselves as sons. Even Paul, though he revealed that sonship truth to us, referred to himself at the opening of his epistles, not as a son, but as a servant, a bondservant or slave, a messenger (apostle), and a prisoner. Paul, himself, revealed the truth that a slave and an heir (son), though they may start out the same in childhood, at the appointed time set by the father of the house, the son comes forth, and Paul says:
"Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."                                           Gal. 4:7
What can be clearer than that? Yet we have difficulty moving in that truth and mindset. There is an obstacle that continually tries to deny the manifestation of that sonship. Perhaps we continually refer to ourselves as servants out of a religious false-humility: "I am just a servant trying to do God's will." How sad that reasoning is, if true.
Does sonship mean that we do not want to "serve" God obediently? No. No one served our Father better, or more perfectly than His Son, Jesus. However, a son serves his Father from a different mind and heart and position than a paid employee (servant) or a slave.
The young man in scripture whom we call a prodigal, wanted to return to his father's house even as a servant, but we found out that his father did not welcome him back as a servant, but as a son, giving him a robe a ring and a banquet: 
"...for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found"...
                                                       Luke 15:24
 Abraham had a servant, a wonderful, loyal, outstanding servant, who was his heir, but he didn't want an employee as his heir. He wanted a son. He wanted someone of his own flesh, his own blood, his own spirit, his own name, as his heir. God understood this desire, and gave Abraham his miracle son. Our Father understood because He has this same desire, a desire for sons who serve Him not out of fear, nor for payment, nor for religious gratification, but in the love and oneness and shared heritage that a precious son shares with His Father.
All creation is waiting expectantly for God's sons to manifest. Paul says the time is now.

Our Father has many sons.

"Lamb of God"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPClih1HLPg