Hidden But Not Harmless

Growing Daily

I read a headline this week that drought has caused water levels in the Danube River to drop so low that Nazi warships scuttled during World War II are now visible.

Interestingly, the sunken ships were not a surprise. Everyone knew the riverbed was littered with wreckage that has caused navigational problems for decades. But it’s hard to remove the old ships because they contain live ammunition and explosives.

There are things in our lives like those ships, aren’t there? They may be hidden most of the time, but they’re not harmless. Buried bitterness, unconfessed sin, and even misplaced priorities continue to shape the way we navigate. They belong to old battles we would rather forget, but they can still explode in the present.

Fortunately, nothing is hidden from God (Hebrews 4:13). That’s why David prayed bravely: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you…” (Psalm 139:23-24)

God may use a season of drought to bring an issue we’ve ignored for too long to our attention. But the good news is that the God who reveals what is hidden is the same God who specializes in wreckage removal! He sends His Spirit into the places we cannot safely enter alone, so what threatens our journey can finally be removed.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God...” Psalm 51:10

- Catherine Reid