Does God Really Hide from Us?

Does God Really Hide from Us?

Faithful men have had the words on their lips, even in the Bible.  When Job is weighed down by his sufferings, he asks God, “Why do you hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy?” (Job 13:24).  The Psalmist, who asked, “Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (Psa. 10:1) and “How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever?” (Psa. 89:46)

There are some reasons why God may hide himself but hopefully, though not fully satisfied and understand, we can learn a little more about God, in the Word of God, the Bible.

We cannot find God by ourselves, or in ourselves, or by speculating and philosophizing, because the concepts and reasoning processes we have are limited by our own experiences in the natural material world we live in.  Anyone can find God when God reveals himself.

It’s about priorities.  Everything we know is the physical expression of an idea. God has discouraged man from focusing on the physical at the expense of the way he thinks and behaves.  But men prefer it another way.  Man has always made it the practice to give their deities some form.  God does not want to be revered for his physical form.  He wants us to love him for who he really is – mind, spirit, his thinking, his behavior, and what he plans.  He doesn’t want us to be distracted by the physical.  Everything physical is superficial.

Why does God hide himself from us?  Could it be that to seek after Him is to find Him?  The effort and diligence of seeking God will produce a better understanding of who God really is.  God is only looking for a relationship with someone who is prepared to believe and trust Him based on the evidence that He has presented to us in so many different ways.

The apostle Paul made the following observation: “God, who made the whole world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.  And He has made from one blood every nation of men who dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope hat they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring” (Act 17:24-28).

We can add:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb 11:6)

“Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. (Heb 11:1)

The special gift given to humans.  Christ, the firstborn over all creation, the image of the invisible God. (Col 1:15) God’s intention when creating man and woman was to create them in His own image and likeness, empowering them with the capacity to comprehend His ways and thoughts and by such means, experience a relationship with God.  But they chose to believe a serpent and lost it all.  Jesus restored us unto the favor of God.

God is not visible so that we might seek after Him.  He works silently, behind the scenes, bringing about circumstances in our lives designed to teach and foster wisdom and humility, while building character.  He allows us to make our own mistakes and experience the consequences of them – mistakes we might not make if He was visibly present to instruct us.

He will send regular everyday people as His messengers from time to time.  He wants us to be alert and receptive to instruction, to discern, and to grow.  He leaves us largely to ourselves, to make our own decisions, deal with our own disputes, and suffer for our mistakes.  Through this natural process we demonstrate whether we love the invisible God or not.

God speaks to us in parables for the purpose of inducing meekness. God deliberately teaches us in a confusing manner because He requires intense concentration and effort from those who would know His will.

We must soften our hearts and not become calloused.  Jesus taught in a manner designed to sift out the genuine people from the rest.  He only wanted those who sought the reflection of God, as opposed to the reflection of themselves and Satan, pursued by the majority.  Those who would follow Him would be like Elijah, who strained his ears intently, to hear the still small voice over the wind, earthquake and fire.

God hides himself, in a manner, for the express purpose that we might seek after Him.  The prerequisite to understanding the truth about Him, really knowing Him, is meekness and humility.

As long as we continue to listen to our own hearts at the expense of paying attention to what God is saying, we will never truly “see” Him, “hear” Him, or “follow” Him.  God wants us to empty ourselves of the world that He might fill us up.