Is God Hiding?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you could make yourself invisible? You could go anywhere you wanted and nobody would be able to see you! If you were playing a game of hide and seek you wouldn’t even need to go and hide – you could just hide yourself!

Actually, hide and seek wouldn’t really be a fun game if people could make themselves invisible, would it? The game relies totally on the fact that, as human beings, we can hide behind physical objects, but we can’t simply click our fingers and hide ourselves.
We can be thankful that today’s scripture doesn’t say God is hiding from us and that we have to search all over to find Him! No, today’s scripture makes it clear that He’s still there, but that He’s a God who sometimes hides Himself. Perhaps you’re wondering why God would hide Himself from us, and where, or how exactly, we can find Him?

In chapter 3 of the book of Micah it says ‘Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time because they have practiced evil deeds’. This isn’t the kind of scripture we generally like reading, but it does give us a clue about the people God hides Himself from. It’s those who refuse to humble themselves before Him and turn from their sinful ways. Instead they continue to practise evil deeds. They are the ones who won’t be able to find God when they call out to Him.

Why can’t they find God, and where exactly is He? I think the writer of Psalm 91 gives us a clue when he refers to ‘the secret place of the most high’, and says of those who dwell there that God will rescue them, protect them, answer them when they call, and show them His salvation. There are those God’s hiding from, and there are those who’re living with God in His hiding place!

The big question for us today is how can we enter, and live permanently, in that secret place with God, hearing His voice and knowing His presence. Guess what! God gives us the answer in His Word. Isn’t that good of Him! Psalm 25:14 says ‘The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant’. Other translations say that He confides in those who fear Him, that He comes close and speaks intimate things that He would not share with just anybody.

I believe that God is saying to all of us today: “I welcome into my secret place those who fear me”.

Prayer: Father, I want to thank You today that there’s a secret place in which I can live; a place where I can have intimacy with You and experience Your love and protection. Thank You that in that place I can hear Your voice and that You’ll show me Your salvation. I want to say sorry for the times that I haven’t walked in the fear of the Lord, and for the times that I’ve turned away from You, or been more concerned about what other people think of me than what You think of me. I choose today to recognise Your position as the King of all kings and Lord of lords; the one who loves me so much and has a much better plan for my life than I do. I don’t want to do anything that would upset You or grieve You, and I’m choosing to make You the Lord of every area of my life. In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.