White sand beaches, waving palm trees, majestic sunsets, the gentle waves rolling in gently against the shore, the call of exotic birds in the distance ... There’s something intimate and lovely and restful about that thought, isn’t there? But, I ask you, what is it about islands that captivates our imagination? What is it about them that draws our attention, that entices us so? I mean, think about it – would you rather go to Hawaii or one of the Carolinas? To Tahiti or Mongolia? While both options may have beaches, natural habitats and parks to explore, and lots of interesting history to study, most of us, if given the opportunity, would probably rather venture to the islands. Why? Because it’s an island. And something about islands piques our interest, draws our heart, whispers to our overburdened, busy lifestyles. And, rightly so. Psalm 32:7, in the Message paraphrase says:
“God’s my island hideaway, keeps danger far from the shore, throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.”
We have much to learn about knowing God in this way, about thrilling to His presence, about resting in Him, about bearing fruit, about the exotic adventure of a life in Christ … But perhaps I get ahead of myself. Let’s start with a simple question: What do we know about islands?
1. They’re beautiful … like our God.
Islands are stunningly beautiful with breathtaking sunsets, romantic and mysterious mountains shrouded in fog, exotic people and languages, and the scent of spices hanging in the air. Likewise, our God is a God of breathtaking splendor, a God who rides in chariots of clouds, with flames of fire for His servants (Psalm 104:3-4, CEV). He is the God who stalks along the seas (Job 9:8, LB), walking even on the ocean floor (Job 38:16, CEV); the God whose throne-room is surrounded with an emerald rainbow and lit with flashes of lightning and roars of thunder (Rev. 4:4-5, CEV). If that does not fully capture your imagination, arrest your breath in your chest, Psalm 93:1, in the Douay-Rheims Bible, spells it out more clearly for you when it says that our God is “clothed with beauty.” Psalm 104:1-2 in the same translation reaffirms that He has “put on praise and beauty,” that He wears “glory and beauty” like clothes (Knox translation), like we wear socks and shoes and ratty jeans – that’s how comfortable He is in His beauty! Verse two in the King James Version says that He covers Himself with light, which, in the Strong’s concordance could also mean, “luminary, lightning, happiness …” Did you get that? He is clothed in a beauty as brilliant and shocking and powerful as lightning, as soft and gentle as a luminary, and as thrilling and exciting and smile-inducing as true happiness. That is our God. Furthermore, Isaiah 28:5, in the ESV, says that God is to us as a “crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty” – His beauty is what sets us apart in a crowd, the jewel that identifies us as being different. Do you see that everything about how God relates to us is beautiful and was meant to be? It was meant to woo us into a relationship with Him, a relationship He’s always wanted with us. Think of the Garden of Eden. God didn’t have to create it so beautifully, so lush and vibrant with life and variety. He didn’t have to create all the different types of flowers, the beauty of hummingbirds, waterfalls, sunsets. But He did. He created the beauty of the garden to reflect the beauty of His relationship with Adam and Eve. And though after the fall, many things were lost, many things marred in sin, God’s beauty is still chasing after us, pursuing us, trying to woo us back into that beautiful relationship with Him. In fact, in Psalm 23:6, in the Message paraphrase, it says that God’s “beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.” His beauty chases you down in your memory, drawing you back no matter how far you stray from the island of His grace. His love and beauty pursue us daily, like butterflies on a remote island, calling to us in gentleness, drawing us closer to Him, and the appropriate response is that of Psalm 27:4, in the ESV: to desire “One thing … of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” We should live each day with a desire to return to His beauty, to gaze upon it, to be enticed by it, and to be refreshed in it, like Victor Hugo wrote of Bishop Myriel in his classic work, Les Miserables. He wrote that the Bishop, “did not study God; he was dazzled by Him.” Oh, that we would all be thus explained at the end of our lives – and every day until then!2. Islands are places of rest … like our God.
Think about it. What brings most people to island destinations like Hawaii, Tahiti, or Fiji? VACATION! They come to rest, relax, get away from their work and the demands of their daily lives, soak up some sun, enjoy some swimming and exploring … and rest. Likewise, our rest, as Christians is found in regular “vacations” with God. If we want to be truly refreshed, we must make regular, daily trips to our Island Hideaway God. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus tells us this plainly: “Come to me and I will give you rest – all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke – for it fits perfectly – and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls …” Do you hear that? The heart of God is to give you breathing room when you need it, to refresh you and restore you, to protect you from the demands of the world, and allow you a few moments to just be with Him in His presence. Psalm 116:7, in the Bible in Basic English, likewise entreats us, “Come back to your rest, O my soul; for the Lord has given you your reward.” We were not designed to be on the go every waking moment of everyday, to be constantly working and working and working, and never resting. God wants us to come to Him as our refuge, as our haven of rest. That is why He created the Sabbath – an entire day once a week designed for us to bask in His presence like we would the sun at the beach, to delight in His mysterious beauty and joy like we would the mysterious new landscape of an uncharted island, to feast ourselves at His banquet table (see verses like Psalm 23:5, Psalm 19:10, and Psalm 63:5) like we would feast in the delicacies and exotic foods of an island we’d never visited before … Part of knowing God as our island hideaway is learning to rest entirely in Him, to come back to Him for the rest our souls need, to quit striving in His presence, to take off our shoes like Moses was instructed to do, and walk barefoot with Him along the shoreline of His plans for us. 
3. Islands are exotically fruitful … like our God.
Coconuts, pineapples, bananas, mangos, passion fruit, dragon fruit, carambola, rambutan, mountain apples, pomegranates, kiwis, tamarinds – islands are filled with all kinds of exotic fruit! More fruit than you’ve ever seen in the grocery store or possibly even imagined! Some of the fruits can be harvested and shipped to other places, imported to satisfy our curiosity. Other types of fruit don’t travel well and will likely never be seen anywhere but the islands they naturally grow on. Likewise, spending regular time with our Island Hideaway God will make our lives exotically fruitful. While we may be able to load up and hoard some of the “fruits” even when we’re not regularly communing with Him, other fruits cannot be exported or transported long distances; they will be obviously lacking if we are trying to be a Christian in our own strength, without communing and fellowshipping with our God. If we want to see more fruit of God in our lives, we must spend more time with Him, must be constantly connected with Him. In John 15:2-5, in the Living Bible, Jesus tells us that God, “lops off every branch that doesn’t produce. And He prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops. He has already tended you by pruning you back for greater strength and usefulness by means of the commands I gave you. Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart from me. Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing.” Later, in verse 8, He tells us that, “My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father,” and in verse 16, He says that He has appointed us to “go and produce lovely fruit always.” Galatians 5:22-23, as we all know, also talks about fruit, saying that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” Hebrews 12:11 says that, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it,” (ESV). Colossians 1:10 also instructs us to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (ESV). Psalm 92:12-15 says that, “The godly shall flourish like palm trees, and grow tall as the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own garden, and are under his personal care. Even in old age, old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green. This honors the Lord … (LB)” You see, our God is a God who loves fruit, is obsessed with bearing fruit through our lives, and He wants to see more and more exotic fruits of the Spirit flowing through our lives. He wants to see us living boldly and triumphantly for the Kingdom of God, wants our lives to be as varied and fruitful as a lush tropical island – but He is the supply line. We can’t bear fruit without spending time with Him. You saw in John 15 that it says we can’t bear fruit alone – and it’s true. Imagine walking into some place like Alaska and trying to grow bananas outside your house. It’d be silly. The fruit would have to come from somewhere else, would have to be imported. Likewise, we cannot produce fruits of our own in this land. We must spend time with our Island Hideaway God, and then our lives will bear the fruit He desires us to, varied in flavor and nutrients – but beneficial for growth and godliness.4. Islands are where treasure is hidden … like our God.
Think of every pirate movie you’ve ever seen – where is the treasure normally stashed? On an island, of course! And likewise, our treasure is “stashed” on the Island Hideaway of our God – or it should be. Psalm 36:7, in the Contemporary English Version, says, that God’s “love is a treasure.” Psalm 119:162, in the Good News Bible, says, “How happy I am because of your promises – as happy as someone who finds rich treasure!” And Isaiah 33:6, in the same translation says that God, “protects His people and gives them wisdom and knowledge. Their greatest treasure is reverence for the Lord.” Luke 12:33-34 warn us about choosing carefully where we keep our treasure – whether we store it in trinkets in this lifetime or in the Kingdom of God for all eternity. In the ESV, it says, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our heart should always be on the Island Hideaway of our God, lost in the wilderness of His love, feasting on the festive banquet He has prepared, bearing much exotically nourishing fruit. How do we do that? By putting our money there. I know people get funny when talking about money, but if you want your heart to be more and more free to explore God as an Island Hideaway, if you want to live more and more in love with Him, if that’s what I say I want too – then we must give more and more to His Kingdom. We must send the money on ahead of us to transform lives for the glory of God. We must stash all your riches in Him, trusting Him to provide, trusting that our treasure will not be stolen by the enemy for his evil purposes … and trusting that in Heaven, we will be rewarded more than we could ever imagine for our faithfulness to give. I hope, as you think about this, pray about this, and go ahead living your life, that knowing God as your Island Hideaway will bless and encourage you, strengthen you and give you peace, and that you’ll thrill to the adventure of spending time with God from here on out – like you’d thrill to go on a vacation to Hawaii.
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