from Dave Friedrich
"And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us." - Acts 17:26-27 (ESV)
Have you ever noticed when you play hide-and-seek with little children they want to be found? This becomes apparent in the way they hide: partly hidden and partly visible. And when you find them they let out that delightful shriek. Have you ever considered that life with God is something like hide-and-seek, where God is 'hiding' but is also partly visible, that he wants to be found?
To paraphrase Pascal, there is enough of God revealed in the world for those who want to find him, and there is enough of God hidden in the world for those who don't. Paul tells the Athenians that God has orchestrated when and where people would be born so that they would "seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him." God makes the first move. He is orchestrating and seeking us before we seek him. He leaves us clues, but he doesn't force himself onto us. He wants us to feel and look for him, without making it too hard. So he's not that far from any one of us, because he wants to be found.
Dave lives in Southborough with his family and still loves to play hide-and-seek.